Anything Can Happen In Vegas
by nebula2
Summary: When Spencer Reid's high school reunion comes up, only Morgan can convince him to go. Reid knows he's going to end up regretting going or will he? Warning: Will eventually be Morgan/Reid slash so if you don't like don't read.
1. Secret Admiration

**AN: Not that I really need another story started but . . . Not a typical story for me but I hope it finds an audience anyway. I'll be updating sporadically on this one as inspiration hits me. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and the characters are not mine, only the ideas!  
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><p>It was Friday night and the bar was crowded. Despite the mass of bodies though Derek Morgan could still see the object of his admiration. The slim figure, and head of wavy dark hair, could be seen standing at the bar as the person waited for their order. Derek watched the slim fingers absently drum a beat on the top of the bar. Unfortunately the long legs that Morgan often daydreamed about running his hands up were not visible from where he sat.<p>

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," Prentiss said, a smug smile on her face.

"What?" Morgan said, coming out of his own thoughts at the sound of his teammate's voice. The thought that he had been found out caused his heart to feel like it was pounding against his ribs. He was sure that the two women whom he shared a table with could hear it themselves.

"You've been staring for like the last five minutes as if you're a coyote eyeing a chicken," Prentiss said. "Seriously you'd think you were at a strip club or something. Can't you be a little less obvious? Not to mention, I've never seen you go gaga over a blonde before," Prentiss commented, looking back in the direction of the bar. "Brunettes seem to be more your type."

"Alas, don't I know that. I'm doomed to forever be overlooked by my Chocolate God because of my golden hair," Garcia said, with a slight sigh.

Morgan meanwhile felt a wave of relief wash over him. Prentiss didn't know who it was he was really goggling. She thought it was the blonde standing behind his image of perfection. So be it, he could play along with that.

"I have an eye for all of nature's beautiful creatures and besides, they say blondes are more fun. Perhaps I want to test that statement out for myself," Morgan said, tearing his eyes off of the brown-haired figure by the bar to glance over at Prentiss. "I am up for a little fun, if you know what I mean."

"Perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut," Prentiss said, feeling creeped out by her teammate's blatant excitement over the prospect of a one night stand. Not that she hadn't had a few herself in her lifetime, however those were times that she had a few too many drinks and to this day couldn't recall much of what had happened. To Derek Morgan the one night stand was an art form that he had more than perfected.

"Perhaps you should have, Princess," Morgan told her. Feeling the need to cement the profiler's belief in his interest in the blonde, the dark-skinned agent felt that it was time for a little playacting to commence. Besides, it wasn't like the person he really had eyes for even looked at him in that light. "But look at it this way, now you get to see the master in action," he whispered in her ear as he got to his feet.

Leaving the two women to stare at him, both for different reasons, Morgan headed in the direction of the bar. He exchanged quick words with Reid, whom he passed as the younger man was heading back to the table Morgan had just left. What Morgan wanted to do was turn around and follow the younger agent right back to the table, but for the sake of keeping up appearances he continued in the direction the bar.

"Hey Sweetie, you here alone?" Morgan asked quietly, slipping in beside the blonde that Prentiss had thought he was eyeing. She was good looking, as far as women went, and if it wasn't for wishing he was with his true object of affection, he probably would be enjoying this. Still, unless he wanted to confess to all his co-workers that he swung the other way, flirting with this woman was in order.

"Depends on why you're asking?" the woman replied, in a flirting manner. Morgan didn't miss the subtle movement of her eyes as she looked him over. Apparently liking what she saw, the woman leaned forward slightly.

"I thought you and I might take a little time to get to know one another. Share a drink, a dance and maybe something a bit more intimate if things go well," Morgan told her, slipping his arm across her shoulders.

"I don't know. I've been told talking to strangers isn't safe," the woman replied coyly.

"I can fix that," Morgan said softly into her ear. He removed his left arm from around her shoulders and turned to face her squarely. "Derek Morgan. It's good to meet you," he said, holding up his right hand out to her.

"Katie Anderson," she replied, shaking his hand.

"Can I buy you a drink Katie, and then the two of us could go find a quiet place to talk?"

"Just talk?" Katie asked, a slight bat of her long lashes as she took a step toward Morgan.

"We can negotiate on that point," Morgan told her leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "Was this something you had in mind?" he asked, before placing a kiss on the woman's creamy white neck.

* * *

><p>"What are you two looking at?" Reid asked, as he placed his scotch down on the table, and sank down into the chair next to Garcia.<p>

"Morgan apparently has his eye set on his latest conquest," Prentiss commented. "I'm waiting to see if he gets shut down or not."

"Not my Chocolate God," Garcia said, her eyes still watching Morgan talking to the blonde. "He's like a cat. I love watching him in action no matter what he is doing."

Reid reached out and grabbed a pretzel from the dish in the center of the table. Part of him wanted to turn and watch himself, just for the excuse of watching Morgan, but he didn't want to give himself away.

The two women continued to watch in silence for a while as Reid played with the pretzel. It was Prentiss who finally broke the silence.

"How does he do it?" Prentiss asked, her voice conveying her amazement.

Reid risked a glance back at the bar to see Morgan walking off into the crowd with the blonde hanging on his arm.

"Apparently it's called 'game'," Reid commented, playing with the pretzel he had in his hand rather than eating it, "which according to Morgan I'm never going to learn."

Not that Morgan hadn't tried, on multiple occasions, to coach him on the subject. Other than that incident with Austin while on a case, he hadn't been successful even using his magic. Morgan claimed that first incident was a fluke, and had gotten quite a bit of amusement from the younger man's attempts, much to Reid's embarrassment.

Reid knew the real problem though and that was the fact that women just didn't turn him on romantically. The fact that he found men attractive was something he had learned in college and something that had gotten him a few black eyes and bruised ribs when others in his dorm had found out. However, that had led to a couple of memorable relationships. Though Neil and Todd had been special in their own ways, he had known that neither was that special someone. Still, both of those relationships had meant more than the one night stand he'd had while at the academy. That one had been nothing more than two cadets trying to relieve a bit of the stress of a rigorous training program.

The young genius knew he could never admit that to Morgan though. Reid had finally felt like he had found a place that he fit in and he wasn't about to do anything that would jeopardize that. ~_I'd rather have Morgan in my life as a friend than not have him in my life at all, ~ _Reid told himself for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Ahh, Sweetie, you don't need 'game'. You're so adorable that the women like you just as you are. You just need to learn to loosen up and talk to them like you do with us," Garcia said.

"Adorable," Reid grumbled. "Great, that makes me feel like a stuffed animal."

"I love my stuff animals," Garcia said.

Prentiss laughed. "She's right though, Reid. I've seen plenty of women eyeing you tonight."

"Yeah, right."

"No seriously. That girl who came up to you while you were headed for the bar had been eyeing you all night. What did you say to her anyway?"

"I'm not saying," Reid replied, his cheeks flushing bright pink. He stuffed the pretzel in his mouth and took his time chewing it.

Prentiss shook her head. "Perhaps you should try your luck with the guys who have been eyeing you then," the dark-haired woman said, lightly.

Reid quickly swallowed the pretzel before he choked on it. "What!" Reid exclaimed, even as Garcia choked on the soda she had been trying to swallow.

"Are you okay?" Prentiss asked, Garcia with genuine concern.

"Yeah. It just went down the wrong pipe," Garcia replied, waving off her friend's concern with one hand as she placed her glass on the table.

Prentiss nodded and then looked back at Reid. "Face it Reid. You're cute in a geeky sort of way, and both sexes see it. You just need to hone your social skills a bit, and you could score with someone no problem." She paused a moment, and then with a smile added, "no matter what team you play for."

"I'm not . . ." Reid stopped himself as he realized how loud his voice was. Lowering his voice and looking around self-consciously he tried again. "I'm not gay."

"Okay," Prentiss said, putting her hands up in defense as she realized she had upset her friend. "I was just kidding. We'll change the topic okay."

"I think maybe, I'll head home instead," Reid said, getting to his feet. He had only come to spend time with Morgan anyway and it seemed as if his friend would be enjoying more pleasant company tonight.

"Reid! Come on, I was just joking around," Prentiss protested.

"It's been a long day, Emily, and I'm tired. I'll see you on Monday," Reid said, getting to his feet, his glass of scotch still almost completely full.

"I'll give you a ride," Garcia said, quickly grabbing her purse. "I'm about ready to call it a night anyway. I've got the beginnings of a headache," she said. "You don't mind, do you, Emily?"

"No. Course not. Feel better," Prentiss told Garcia.

"Thanks, Angel," Garcia told the raven-haired agent. Rounding the table she gave Emily a hug. "You ready?" she then asked, looking over at Reid.

"You really don't have to . . ."

"I want to, Sweet Cheeks, so stop protesting," Garcia told him, cutting the genius off.

Reid nodded, giving in. He hadn't won an argument with the blonde technical goddess yet and didn't think that was going to change tonight. As he fell into step beside Garcia, the blonde looped her arm through his as they headed out of the bar.


	2. Ethan Calls

This wasn't the normal morning meeting for the team of profilers. They weren't briefing a new case this morning. Instead, Hotch was busy taking care of administration issues within the team. Among those issues performance evaluations were due, and Hotch informed each of his team that he would be calling them into his office throughout the day to review the evaluation with them.

"Meanwhile, I expect each of you to be working on paperwork today while we have a break between cases," Hotch said, about ready to wrap up the staff meeting. He let his gaze fall on Morgan.

"What?" the dark-skinned profiler asked defensively.

"You're the furthest behind on paperwork," Hotch informed him.

"Even with slipping me files," Reid interjected quietly, earning him a glare from Morgan which the genius refused to acknowledge.

"I'm expecting to see you catch up quite a bit by the end of the day," Hotch said, as if Reid had never made his little comment. "If not you'll be putting in a late night even without a case. Strauss is getting on my case about the late paperwork. If requiring you to put in extra hours is what it takes to get caught up, then that's what is going to have to happen. That goes for everyone."

"Rossi is lucky to be at that seminar right about now," Morgan muttered.

"Ironically, besides Reid, Rossi is the only one that has managed to keep up on the paper work," the unit chief countered. "Does anyone have anything they would like to bring up?" Hotch asked, looking around the table at each of his subordinates. "Then this meeting is adjourned. I expect to see everyone hard at work at their desks throughout the day. Garcia, give me fifteen minutes and then I'd like to see you in my office to go over your evaluation."

"Yes, sir," the computer tech replied.

With that said, Hotch quickly gathered his things and headed out of room. Garcia soon followed leaving Reid, Morgan and Prentiss in the room who were a bit more slow to follow - none of them all that eager to get to the bullpen and the paperwork that waited for them at their desks.

"So what was that remark for, Kid?" Morgan asked as he watched the younger agent get to his feet. Morgan had to force himself to keep his gaze on Reid's face instead of letting it trail down his body to the genius' long legs that he loved to admire. "Are you mad for me bailing on you Friday night?"

Reid shrugged. "We went out together as a group and besides you're free to hang out with whomever you want to."

" How did you get home that night?" Morgan asked, the younger man having ridden to the bar with him. Morgan had looked for Reid before leaving the bar with Katie, wanting to make sure his friend had a way to get home but hadn't been able to find him.

"Oh, Reid went home with a blonde, too," Prentiss replied, before Reid had a chance to answer the question. The raven-haired profiler had already started toward the door.

Morgan felt a twinge of jealousy arise at the words. Part of him wanted to demand who it was Reid had left with, though he knew he had no right to do so. He had no claim on Reid or his time. Absolutely no right to try saying whom Reid could or could not spend time with. Still, part of him wished that it was him who had taken the young genius home that night. Wished that it had been Reid whom he shared the bed with during the night of lovemaking that had ensued instead of the blonde-headed, Katie.

He knew he couldn't say that though, especially not in the middle of the round-table room with Prentiss as an audience. He was quite sure the dark-haired agent would enjoy that little confession as well as never let him live the moment down. Somehow he didn't think Reid would find the confession all that amusing, especially giving the surroundings. He could almost see the younger agent's hazel eyes go wide in surprise at the words and what little color the kid ever had in his complexion drain. What the reaction after the initial surprise and probably embarrassment would be, Morgan wasn't sure. He knew what that reaction would be in his fantasies but one thing he had learned over the years was that Dr. Spencer Reid had a unique way of surprising him.

"A blonde, huh," Morgan replied instead, trying to keep the tone of his voice light and filled with amusement. "Maybe there is hope for you yet, Kid."

"Garcia gave me a ride home," Reid replied quickly, casting a baleful look in Prentiss' direction as she walked through the door.

"Oh, I could have so much fun with that statement," Morgan said, an evil grin coming to his face.

"What?" Reid said, his gaze switching to Morgan. As the younger profiler took in the older man's expression, Morgan's intent became clear to him. "That is not what I meant," Reid said quickly, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks.

Morgan's grin grew even more. He knew the genius' statement had been quite innocuous but he had to admit he was enjoying Reid's discomfiture. "You know Garcia is a beautiful woman any man would . . ."

"Look, she drove me to my apartment building, dropped me off and left. She didn't even come upstairs."

"There's no need to have gone up to your apartment. Men have been getting laid in cars since before even I was born."

Reid's face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. "Nothing happened. Besides there are rules and even if there weren't, I don't see Garcia in that way."

"Don't see me in what way?" Garcia asked, strolling casually back into the room. "I forgot my pen," she said pointing to the purple pen with a toucan on top of it.

"Nothing," Reid muttered as he hurriedly left the room.

Morgan watched the younger man head for the relative safety of his desk. Reid folded his lanky form into the chair, grabbed a folder and quickly opened it.

"Were you giving our sweet little G-man a hard time there, Sugar?" Garcia asked, walking over to the table to retrieve her pen.

"Just a bit of harmless fun," Morgan replied, taking a glance around to make sure none of his other teammates were finding their way back to the conference room. "I enjoy watching him blush."

"Somehow I don't thin that's the only thing you would enjoy making him do," Garcia replied, a mischievous lilt to her voice. She gave him a wink. "You really should just give up this whole pretense of being an alley cat out on the prowl and try catching the only mouse you really want."

"He would freak, Baby Girl."

Morgan glanced out the window at the bull pen. Both Prentiss and Reid were now at their desks, looking as if they were hard at work. As he watched, Reid reached up to tuck a stray strand of wavy hair behind his ear.

"You don't know that for sure. Besides, weren't you the one that told me that if something happened to Reid during that anthrax scare a couple weeks ago that your one regret would be not telling him exactly how you felt about him."

"Nothing happened to him, Baby Girl. He's fine," Morgan argued, even as he noted that Reid hadn't seemed to put back on the weight he had loss during the illness. What he hadn't told even the vivacious blonde was that he had confessed his love to Reid, while the young man had been lying near death in the hospital bed, as they waited to see if the cure would work. Reid had been so out of it that even with his eidetic memory he had no recollection of that confession and Morgan didn't plan on reminding him.

"For now," Garcia said. "Life is unpredictable and this job makes it even more so."

Morgan pulled his gaze away from the vision in the bullpen and looked at his other best friend. The one person in this world that knew about his attraction to men, especially one man in particular.

"I won't do that to him."

"How do you know he isn't secretly pinning away for you, too?"

"Do you know something I don't know?"

Garcia shook his head. "Nothing for sure, but it's just a feeling I've got. Also, he didn't seem to be all too happy that you were flirting with that blonde Friday night. He suddenly wanted to leave when you walked off into the crowd with him."

"Reid's never been much for crowded places."

"Yet, he seems to willingly go to those places if it means he's going to be with you," Garcia told him. Her pen now in hand, she walked up to him. "Think about that fact there, gorgeous," she told him, lightly tapping the plastic toucan against Morgan's chin.

With that, Garcia headed out of the conference room for a second time, leaving Morgan alone. The dark-skinned profiler let his gaze drift back down to the bullpen as he pondered Garcia's words. Was she right?

After a few minutes, Morgan let out a sigh. Unless Reid gave him some sign that he was interested, or even that he played for that team, then he knew he couldn't make a move. Knew that he couldn't take a chance of hurting the kid in that way, even unintentionally. Finally leaving the conference room himself, Morgan headed for his desk and the dreaded inbox that was waiting for him.

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><p>As Agent Prentiss walked past him, Agent Spencer Reid looked up from his paperwork and toward the Agent Hotchner's office. He could see Morgan clearly as the dark-skinned agent sat back in the chair across from their unit chief. Though he was trying to appear calm, Reid could read the tension in his friend's body language. Apparently the performance evaluation wasn't as good as Morgan would like, and Reid had a fairly good idea of at least one area that his friend had a low rating on.<p>

Casting a glance around to make sure no one was watching, Reid got to his feet and took the few steps necessary to cross over to Morgan's desk. Quickly snatching a handful of the brown files from the top of the inbox, Reid retreated back to his own desk. Sitting back down in his chair, Reid placed the pile in front of him, hoping that by not putting them in his now empty inbox that he wouldn't draw attention to himself.

Despite his comment of Morgan slipping him files, Reid really didn't mind. Unlike his co-workers, he didn't find completely the necessary reports and forms to be tedious.

_~Although I would much prefer that he slipped me his tongue instead of files, ~ _Reid thought, going back to the last set of forms that he needed to complete for their last case. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks at the thought.

"Are you okay?"

Reid jumped at the sound of Prentiss' voice. "Yeah, fine. Why?" he replied looking up front the paperwork as his co-worker slid into her seat across from him.

"Your cheeks look a little flushed, like you're running a fever or something."

~_Oh I'm running a fever all right, but it isn't because I'm sick_, ~ Reid thought. "I'm fine," was all he said out loud though. He reached out and picked up his coffee mug, taking a sip of the now cool liquid.

"Looks like you're running on empty there," Prentiss said, having noticed the wire basket void of files on her way past. "You could always poach Morgan's inbox. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Reid finally found himself choking on the coffee, his mind going in a whole different direction than Prentiss had intended.

"You okay, Reid."

"Yeah, fine," Reid managed between a few coughs having managed to swallow the liquid without spitting it out.

Reid was thankful when his cell phone rang. Reaching for it quickly, he answered it without bothering to look at the screen, which turned out to be a mistake.

"Agent Spencer Reid."

"Spencer, man, it's about time I got a hold of you. A person might start to think you've been avoiding his calls."

Reid cursed himself silently at the sound of Ethan's voice. He had been avoiding his old friend's calls for the past three weeks due to knowing what it was Ethan was calling about.

"I've been busy," Reid replied, not about to admit anything to his friend.

"Well, now that I've got a hold of you, what have you decided about the reunion man. It'll be a good chance for the two of us to catch up again. I haven't seen you since you were down in New Orleans on that case."

"I don't think I'm gonna go."

"Come on, Spencer. You can't bail on me. It's our fifteen-year reunion. Don't you want to go back to Vegas and see what our old classmates are up to?"

"Not particularly."

"Why not? Don't you want to show everyone what that geeky twelve-year-old managed to accomplish with his life?" Ethan said, as Reid watched Morgan walk down the steps into the bullpen and sit down at his desk. "Youngest FBI ever who is part of one of the elite profiling teams - you've got a lot to be proud of. Me on the other hand - an FBI Academy dropout turned piano player in a bar, however, it'll be good to see what others have done. I can't be the only loser out of our graduating class, right?"

"You're not a loser, Ethan."

"Then you won't be ashamed to be seen with me at our reunion."

"Of course I wouldn't be."

"Then you're going?"

"What? No, I never said that."

"Yes, you did. You just said that you wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with me at our reunion."

"That didn't mean I agreed to go."

"Come on, Spencer. You're the only one I've kept in touch with from our graduating class. I want to go, but I'd like to know there is at least one person to talk to there."

"Ethan . . ."

"Think about it, Spencer. You've got until tomorrow to RSVP."

"Fine, I'll think about it," Reid replied more to get Ethan off his back than actually intending to reconsider his position on the high school reunion.

"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow then."

Reid sighed as he ended the phone call.

"So, what are you going to be thinking about?" Morgan asked, casually. Reid's side of the conversation had caught his attention.

"Fifteen-year high school reunion. Ethan wants me to go."

"You should."

"Like you've gone to your high school reunions."

"Actually, I have. It was actually kind of fun. You get to relive a few memories, see what old classmates made of themselves and who married who," Morgan shrugged. "You could end up enjoying yourself, and at the very least you get a chance to catch up with Ethan again."

"Recalling my high school days isn't exactly high on my list of things I want to do, Morgan," Reid said, wondering if his friend even remembered the memory he had shared with him on that case down in Texas.

"All the more reason to go back, Kid. Show those guys exactly what you've managed to accomplish with your life. You've got a lot to be proud of."

Reid ducked his head, not wanting Morgan to see his blush at the words of praise.

"I know you've got vacation time, Kid, as you never go anywhere. It'll be good for you to get away from all of this for a few days. Maybe stop by and see your mother again. You haven't been out there for almost six months now."

"You're as bad as Ethan," Reid muttered getting to his feet. He closed the file that was open and headed in the direction of the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Morgan asked.

"Lunch. Are either of you coming?" Reid asked, not breaking his stride, as he glanced quickly over his shoulder at his two co-workers.

Both Prentiss and Morgan were getting to their feet, more than happy to leave the paperwork behind for an hour.


	3. A Bit of Convincing

Morgan lightly tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel as he cruised north on I-495, approaching the Maryland line. The traffic was heavy but not stopped, and given that they were looking at roughly an eight-hour drive to Attica, NY the federal agent was thankful for the moving traffic. He could only hope that their luck held, as he wanted to be well rested for the custodial at Attica Correctional Facility the following morning.

George Cabanna, a serial arsonist who terrorized the city of Cincinnati fifteen years ago, had consented to answering questions for the bureau's ViCAP. Cabanna had set ten fires at colleges and universities in the city, killing eight of his ten intended victims. His victims had all been students who had brought allegations against professors at the schools. In most cases, those allegations had died with the student. After his conviction, Cabanna had been given a life sentence and sent to a medium security facility in the Midwest. After killing a prison guard at the prison he had been at, the criminal had been moved to Attica Correctional Facility. Now, approaching the twelfth anniversary of his first victim's death, Cabanna had finally agreed to talk about his crimes, and reveal his reasons for setting the fires.

The sound of Reid's phone ringing split the silence in the vehicle. Out of the corner of his eye, Morgan saw Reid take the phone from the small compartment in the door handle, glance at the screen before hitting a button and return the phone to its resting place. It was the fourth time the younger agent had gone through those motions since they had left Quantico.

"I sure hope that wasn't Hotch," Morgan commented casually.

"Like I would be ignoring calls from our unit chief." Reid countered.

"So who keeps calling, Kid?"

Reid hesitated in answering. Just when Morgan thought, he wasn't going to receive an answer to his question the genius spoke up.

"Ethan's been trying to get a hold of me this morning and I know exactly what he wants."

"The class reunion?"

"Yeah. I know he's going to try to convince me to go. Today is the last day to RSVP though, so if I can just avoid him for that long then things will be okay."

"Until he comes back from the the reunion and starts telling you stories about it. You'll start to wish you had gone. I know from experience, Kid. I had friends who tried to talk me into going to my five-year reunion, but I skipped it because I was embarrassed about where I was in life. Yeah, I may have been in the Northwestern law program but that wasn't where I had pictured myself being when I graduated high school. Hell, I had no intentions of even getting a law degree. Four years of college, a bachelor's degree, and getting drafted to the NFL - that was my plan. Of course the knee injury my sophomore year killed that dream."

"Um, our exit is coming up here on the left," Reid said, having been focused on the road signs.

Checking the lane for other traffic, Morgan moved the vehicle over to the left lane in preparation for taking exit 38 for the north spur for I-270.

"Anyway, since I was feeling sorry for myself, I skipped the five-year reunion. For a month afterwards, any time I had a conversation with any of my old high school friends they would bring up something that had happened at the reunion or tell me what an old classmate was doing. It made me wish I had gone and I don't want to see you have those same regrets."

"Somehow, I don't think that is going to happen," Spencer muttered softly, though the words were loud enough for Morgan to hear.

As the exit was coming up fast, Morgan couldn't spare a glance over at his friend as he guided the vehicle onto the I-270 North Spur.

"So, catching up with Ethan has no appeal to you? It's been about two years since the two of you caught up with each other in New Orleans."

"Yeah but I don't need to go to a high school reunion to catch up with Ethan. We could catch up any old time."

"But you won't," Morgan commented.

Reid felt annoyed at the older agent's assessment but remained since as he recognized the truth in the words. Over the last couple of years hed had made plans with Ethan several times, but something always seemed to get in their way and one of them had to cancel.

"Look, Kid, you hardly ever take vacation time and this job is stressful."

"I had some time off not too long ago."

"Because you were getting over having Anthrax. That doesn't count!" Morgan told him, tapping the brakes and suppressing the urge to cuss as a red pick-up suddenly swerved into the lane right in front of him. "Especially since you came back before Dr. Kimura wanted you to."

"She signed the release for me to come back."

"Under protest," Morgan countered. "I know because she called me to tell me to keep a close eye on you."

"My doctor called you?" Reid asked incredulously. "Why does everyone insist on treating me like a child? I was fine; I didn't need you to follow me around! Although, now it makes sense why I couldn't even get a coffee without bumping into you."

"Reid, I was only trying to look out for a friend. I already thought I would lose you once, and I didn't want to face that again. Don't be mad, Kid."

Reid glanced over at his teammate, who had a worried look on his face despite trying to pay attention to the traffic. Reid sighed before he spoke. "Anyway, it's over with now. But Morgan as much as I appreciate your advice, I don't miss anyone from high school, and I'm certain they don't miss me."

"So you don't miss them Kid, that's fine. But show them that you've grown. Hell, show off for once. Let them know that Spencer Reid is not that same twelve-year-old. He's a highly trained FBI agent with multiple doctorates. If for no other reason, do it to prove to yourself that you beat them, Kid."

Reid remained silent for a while, staring out the window while he considered Morgan's words. He understood where his teammate was coming from, but his life during high school had been hell and Morgan knew that. Morgan was the _only one _who knew that, actually. So why would he want Reid to return and see those same faces, the faces that had jeered and haunted his nightmares for years?

_~ Maybe he forgot about the incident with the football team. I did only mention it that one time, and it was during a case, ~_ Reid contemplated, wondering if he should bring it up. After all, that incident was the main reason he didn't want to go to this reunion. He didn't want to face Rick Lambert or any other member of that football team.

"Morgan, considering that I was the youngest in my class by at least five years, what makes you think that my degrees would mean anything to them? Besides, I haven't seen or heard from any of them in years – I don't think I'd miss anything. Why are you pushing this?"

"So much for the easy sailing," Morgan said, pressing down on the brake as the traffic came to a standstill. Morgan took advantage of the situation to catch Reid's gaze, "Because despite the fact that you haven't had contact with any of them, they still affect you, Reid. You can't forget what they did. I know you can't, but at least go back, show off, and give yourself some closure. And I know you need it, Kid, you can't tell me you went unarmed after a troubled highschooler, who had a gun I might add, without feeling something. Otherwise, you wouldn't have blocked our shot."

~_He didn't forget, _~ Reid thought as Morgan returned his gaze to the cars in front of him. The genius considered his friend's words carefully, especially as they came from the one person in his life whose opinion meant the most.

They crept forward a bit more. Reid watched as Morgan craned his neck trying to see what was going on up ahead of them.

"So much for making good time," Morgan muttered.

Reid's cell phone rang again, and looking down at the screen he saw Ethan's name and number. Feeling eyes on him, Reid looked to his left. Sure enough, he found himself staring into the dark orbs of Derek Morgan. Those eyes seemed to be daring him to answer the phone.

With a sigh, Reid answered the call. He looked away as he placed the phone to his ear.

"Hey Ethan," Reid said easily.

Reid heard Ethan's casual return greeting, immediately followed by the question he had been dreading.

"Yeah, I've made up my mind. I guess I'll be seeing you in Vegas," Reid replied, refusing to look to his left where he was sure Morgan was wearing a smug smile. Once again, Derek Morgan had managed to convince him to do something he hadn't wanted to do.

* * *

><p>Derek Morgan propped a pillow against the headboard of the hotel bed and leaned back. It had been almost seven by the time they had reached Attica, NY thanks to the traffic jam caused by a vehicle fire. After checking into their hotel, the skies a threatening grey, he and Reid had grabbed dinner at an all night café, the closest restaurant to the hotel. By the time Morgan had pulled the SUV into a parking space at the hotel, a thunderstorm had let lose a downpour. Not appreciating the drowned rat comment that Morgan had tossed his way, Reid had stalked off, bypassing the elevator for a three-flight walk up to their rooms.<p>

The custodial was scheduled for nine the following morning, and Morgan planned on relaxing this evening after the day on the road. He had showered and changed into his pajamas - a pair of sweat pants. Now, as he idly flipped through the stations, Morgan wondered what Reid was up to and tried not to imagine helping the younger man out of the wet clothes he had last seen him in. Thoughts like that would only frustrate him, although he could imagine Garcia telling him to just get it over with and tell Reid how he felt already.

~_No. We're friends and I won't jeopardize that friendship_, ~ Morgan told himself, as he let the tv settle on some cheap scary movie. With the thunder and lighting outside, the scary movie seemed to fit the mood.

As he watched, Morgan couldn't help but grumble about the stupidity of the heroine wandering around the forest alone. Of course, upon hearing a noise she goes looking for the source of the sound instead of running as fast as she can in the opposite direction.

"Lady, you deserve to get whatever the UnSub has planned for you . . ." Morgan muttered as the main character walked right toward where the guy with the axe was hiding

Morgan heard a scream and for a moment it didn't make sense. The heroine had not yet met the killer. He was suddenly alert as he realized the scream was from nearby.

~_That sounded like Reid, _~ Morgan thought, grabbing his gun from the drawer of the end table next to the bed. The sound of the heroine screaming came from behind him as he hurried out of the room.

Concerned for his friend's safety - because while Reid could be jumpy, he was rarely vocal - Morgan didn't bother with knocking on the door. Kicking in the door, Morgan burst into the hotel room with his gun leveled in front of him and his eyes sweeping the room for the danger. He didn't see anyone at first but then he spotted a gun being pointed at him over the top of the furthest bed, along with the top of a familiar brunette head.

"Whoa! Hey Reid, it's just me," Morgan said, putting his hand up quickly but not yet making any other movements. The thought of trying to explain just how he had come under friendly fire in a hotel room while on a custodial did not exactly appeal to him.

"Morgan? What the hell?" Reid replied, his voice showing his relief as he placed his gun down on the bed. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I heard you scream," Morgan replied, flipping the safety of his gun back on.

"I didn't scream," Reid said defensively, as he slowly started to get to his feet, his gaze focused on Morgan's bare chest. "I yelled and you would've too, if you had dropped hot coffee on yourself."

Morgan found his gaze drifting downward. Sure enough, the front of Reid's pants was dark with a wet stain; presumably the coffee. Looking away quickly, Morgan spotted a cardboard cup of coffee lying on the floor, the rest of its contents seeping into the carpet.

"How did you manage to drop the cup? You cling to your coffee like a life preserver," Morgan joked, trying to ease the tension of the situation.

"Very funny," Reid replied, clearly not amused.

"Where did you get coffee from anyway?"

"There's an all-night coffee shop next door."

Morgan smiled. "Leave it to you to find the local coffee shop," he commented.

Reid glanced at the door behind the older profiler. "I'm going to let you explain that to the hotel manager," he told him, waving a hand to the door.

Morgan looked over his shoulder at the door. ~_So much for a relaxing evening_, ~ Morgan thought. With a sigh he headed toward the room's phone to put in a call to the front desk.

* * *

><p>An hour later, juggling two cups of coffee from the all-night coffee shop Reid had mentioned, Morgan walked into his hotel room. The sounds of the shower running told him where Reid was.<p>

The hotel manager had not been happy when he found out that ne now had a broken lock on one of the doors thanks to an impulsive FBI agent. However, Morgan had been able to smooth things over by promising to fix the lock himself the next afternoon before heading back to Quantico. Unfortunately, there hadn't been another empty room available for Reid, so the two FBI agents were left to share Morgan's room, an arrangement that Reid had clearly not been happy about.

Letting the door shut behind him, Morgan walked over to the desk and set down the two coffees. He took off the windbreaker he had been wearing in case it started raining again, and hung it on the back of the chair. Then, pulling his T-shirt over his head, Morgan tossed it onto the end of his bed. As he picked up his coffee cup there was a flash of lighting followed shortly by a rumble of thunder. Another storm was heading their way.

As he headed for his bed, Morgan heard the shower cut off. He settled back onto his bed and picked up the TV remote, - flipping through the channels once again - looking for something interesting.

"Reid, I got you a cup of coffee," Morgan called out as he let the TV settle on a local station giving the news.

Morgan took a sip of his own coffee as Reid's 'okay' came drifting out to him.

Reid stared into the mirror, looking at his reflection. His bare torso was visible and the young genius noted just how skinny he was. His ribs were faintly visible, nothing like the muscular build which he had admired on Derek earlier, despite the start that the older agent breaking through the door had given him.

~_I'm skin and bones which is why even if he did swing that way, I wouldn't stand a chance with him_, ~ Reid thought dejectedly.

Looking away from the mirror he pulled the flannel pajama bottoms and white T-shirt on. Another quick glance didn't make him feel any better about his image. The clothes, baggy for the purpose of comfort, only made him look skinnier.

Reid had been hoping to be in the bed and under the covers before Morgan returned to the room. After Morgan's call to him about the coffee, he knew that wasn't going to be possible. Now he would have to go out there, in his pajamas, under Morgan's scrutiny. Reid wasn't sure why it bothered him so much but it did. Staring at the doorknob, Reid hesitated going out into the room.

~_If Morgan hadn't broken the lock on the door to my room, I would be happily over there, without having to worry about this_, ~ Reid thought.

Before he could get the courage to move, the room was plunged into darkness as a loud rumble of thunder sounded.

"Just great," Reid muttered, though secretly thinking that at least the darkness would hide his physique form his teammate. Unfortunately, his heart was pounding in his chest. He hated the dark.

"It looks like the storm knocked out the power," Morgan called out from the other side of the door. His words got louder as he spoke as if the dark-skinned profiler was heading in his direction. "Are you okay, Kid?"

"Yeah, fine," Reid replied, quickly hoping his voice wasn't revealing the nervousness he felt.

Reaching out blindly, his hands found the doorknob. Turning it, he pulled the door open, relieved to see a shaft of light. Morgan was standing outside the door with a flashlight.

"I wasn't sure where your flashlight was."

"It's in my bag," Reid replied, stepping out of the bathroom while trying to stay out of the direct light of the flashlight.

The two made their way to where Reid's bag was sitting, Morgan continuing to hold the light while the younger man found his own flashlight.

An hour later the power had still not come back on. Setting the alarm on his phone, Morgan closed the files he had been looking at and sat them aside. Reid was reading a book by flashlight in the other bed.

"I think I'm going to call it a night. I want to be well rested for tomorrow. Somehow despite agreeing to meet with us, I don't think Cabanna is going to make this custodial easy."

"I'm sure it won't be too bad," Reid replied idly, not looking from his book. _~It can't go worse than the one with Hardwick, _~ he added silently.

Morgan said something Reid didn't quite catch as he turned his flashlight off and settled down under the blankets. Ten minutes later Reid decided to follow suit. After marking his place in the book, Reid set it on the table between the two beds. He settled down in the bed, trying to position the flashlight, which was still on, next to him so the light would be visible to him but not disturb Morgan.

"Aren't you going to turn that off?" Morgan asked sleepily a few minutes later.

"I wasn't planning to, no," Reid replied, his cheeks growing warm despite the fact that he had long ago admitted to Morgan that he was afraid of the dark.

Moments later Reid felt something small but heavy hit the bed beside him.

"In case the batteries die in yours," Morgan said lightly.

Finding the object, Reid found that Morgan had tossed him his flashlight. Reid wasn't sure if he was angry or touched by the action. He finally decided to not comment and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep.


	4. Surprise

_**Three Weeks Later - Friday Morning:**_

There was only a short line of people waiting to board the plane when Derek Morgan approached the gate for his nonstop flight to Las Vegas. It was how he had planned it, wanting to board the flight once most of the passengers had already found their seats, especially one in particular. He could just see Reid refusing to board the plane if he realized that Morgan had a ticket for the same flight. Remembering the younger agent's reaction to finding out that Dr. Kimura had asked him to keep an eye on him when Reid had returned to work, Morgan could envision him tagging along to Vegas would not go over well - hence the reason he hadn't bothered telling Reid his plans.

Still, Morgan didn't like the idea of Reid flying out to Vegas alone. It wasn't that he didn't think the younger man could take care of himself. He knew Reid had been looking out for himself since he was young, younger than would have actually been legal, but as his mother had often suffered from schizophrenic breaks, it had been necessary. Plus, the kid had grown up in Vegas. He certainly would know his way around the city unlike if he was going to some place like say Chicago. Reid would know what areas of the city to avoid.

However, what Morgan didn't want to happen was for Reid to get back to his hometown and not have any emotional support. Despite how independent Reid strived to make himself look, Morgan knew that he craved human companionship just as much as the next person. Just because he didn't know how to express that need, didn't mean it wasn't there and as Morgan felt he had played a big part in convincing Reid to go to his high school reunion, he felt responsible to make sure the kid had that support if needed. Given what he knew about Reid's past, Morgan knew that facing his former schoolmates were going to be hard, even if it was something the younger man had to do in order for him to move past those experiences. No, Reid wouldn't forget what had happened on that football field, but Morgan knew he had to face the people who had done that to him in order to move beyond it. To put it in his past and stop it from affecting who he was today.

As he handed the airline attendant his ticket, Morgan thought of his own ordeal he'd had to face a couple of years ago. Facing Carl Buford had finally let Morgan put that experience behind him. No, he wouldn't forget but it no longer affected his life in the same way. Knowing that he had put a stop to the effects the man would have on others peoples lives had helped but even more than that, it was knowing that Buford no longer had any control over his life either. The former youth center leader may have influenced his childhood and the decisions he had made that led him away from Chicago, but none of that mattered now. Morgan knew that he had gotten to where he was on his own. He owed nothing to anyone - well except maybe to his parents for the support and unconditional love that had always been shown.

~_I hope things go well. That Reid walks into that reunion and shows everyone what he has accomplished with his life. Sees that none of them are any better than him despite what they tried to make him think back then and has a good time_, ~ Morgan thought as he walked down the jet bridge to the waiting aircraft. ~_However, if that doesn't happen, if things go wrong, then I need to know he isn't out there alone.~_

Stepping onto the plane, Morgan started up the aisle to his seat. Though most people would have guessed he was looking at the row identifications, the dark-skinned profiler was actually scanning the passengers looking for a familiar lanky form. Not only had Garcia managed to find out what flight Reid had booked passage on and get Morgan a ticket for the flight, but the vivacious technical analyst had managed to get her Chocolate God the seat right next to her Junior G-man.

It wasn't long before Morgan spotted him. Reid was sitting next to the window, his ever present messenger bag wedge in between himself and the arm rest closest the window. He was opening a decent size hardcovered book which Morgan couldn't see the title of though chances are it wouldn't interest him. Stopping in the aisle next to the row of seats that Reid occupied Morgan spoke to make his presence known

"So that will occupy what, ten minutes of the flight?"

Reid looked up from the book at the sound of Morgan's voice. The older man did not miss the look of surprise that was on the younger agent's face.

"Morgan? What are you doing here?"

"Flying to Vegas like everyone else on this plane," Morgan commented casually as he put his bag into the overhead compartment. Closing the door, he sat down in the seat next to Reid, sliding the smaller duffel bag he had with him underneath the seat.

"That's not what I meant."

"I took a couple of days off and I figure what better place to spend a long weekend then in Las Vegas."

Reid looked skeptically at his friend. Gazing over at him, Morgan could tell the genius wasn't buying it.

"Look Reid, I figured as I sort of pressured you . . ."

"Sort of?"

"As I sort of pressured you into going to your reunion I thought the least I could do is be on hand if you needed some moral support out while in Vegas."

"Morgan I don't need you to appoint yourself my baby-sitter," Reid replied, the annoyance evident in his voice. He hated people fussing over him, and Morgan tending to fuss more than anyone else. "I can handle myself."

"I know you can, Kid."

"You could have fooled me," Reid muttered, looking away from his friend and out the window, looking at the ground crews that were going about their business. He contemplated trying to leave the plane and not go, but somehow he didn't think it would be that easy. His next thought was to just ignore Morgan for the duration of the flight, but that plan came to an end as he continued to think about the situation. "You're the one that convinced me to go! And now you think I need protection?" Reid asked, turning to look at Morgan again.

Morgan held up his hands, "Whoa, Kid, slow down. That's not it at all." Reid glared. "Okay, maybe it is a little bit of the reason. They gave you hell, Reid, and I'm not about to forget that. If you should need my help I want to be close enough to be able to give it, not stuck all the way across the country."

Reid turned back toward the window unsure of how to reply to Morgan's statement.

"Look, best case you have a great time at the reunion, head home glad that you went and I have an enjoyable four day weekend away from work, and have some fun in Sin City. Worst case, and I hope it doesn't come to that, you don't have to deal with whatever happens alone."

Reid remained quiet and Morgan didn't press him for a response. Things had gone about how he had anticipated and he figured the best thing to do was to give Reid some space for the time being. Looking around the airplane, Morgan had to smile at the irony of that sentiment. There wasn't exactly a lot of space to be had.

As the plane began to taxi toward the runway, a flight attendant began the pre-flight safety speech. Though he had heard it plenty of times, Morgan paid attention as she went through the emergency procedures. It wasn't long before the plane was ascending into the air. Reid had reopened his book which told Morgan that for now at least, his friend was done discussing the mater. Retrieving his MP3 player and headphones from the bag beneath his seat, Morgan settled back in his seat to kill some time listening to music.

The plane wasn't full, and there was an empty seat between Morgan and the guy sitting in the aisle seat. The guy was dressed in a suit, and the vacationing profiler found himself trying to guess what the man did for living and why he was heading for Vegas. From the dress, Morgan figured the man was not taking a pleasure trip. ~_Probably going to Vegas for a convention_, ~ Morgan thought as he watched the business man pull some files out of a briefcase. ~_If I had to venture a guess, I'd say the guy was a lawyer, _~ Morgan thought before letting his gaze drift elsewhere before he got caught staring.

After he got tired of looking around the cabin, Morgan settled his head back against the seat. Listening to the soothing sounds of his favorite songs, he felt the tension start to leave his body. He was looking forward to the next few days away from the horrors that they saw at work every day. It was relief to know that if his phone rang it wouldn't be JJ or Hotch telling him that there was a case and he needed to report to work. A few weeks ago he had been telling Reid that the younger agent needed to take some vacation time and as he sat here on the plane, Morgan realized that advice had indeed applied to him too. Even if Reid stayed mad at him, and avoided him while he was in Vegas, Morgan planned on enjoying himself this weekend. Probably lose some money in the casino and take in a show.

He was mentally making tentative plans, eyes closed, when Morgan got the feeling he was being watched. Opening his eyes, the profiler glanced around looking for the source of the feeling. He didn't have to look far, as upon looking to his left he found Reid looking at him, his book sitting in his lap closed.

Reaching up, Morgan removed his head phones, as his finger found the stop button on the music player. "What is it, Kid?" he asked, relieved that Reid had stopped trying to ignore him.

"I don't get you, Morgan," Reid replied, his gaze not leaving his friend. "You're the one that told me to go to this reunion so I can face my past and now you're tagging along - for what reason? If you were worried what might happen, why tell me to go in the first place?"

"Just because I want you to deal with what happened when you were younger, doesn't necessarily mean I think you should be doing that alone," Morgan told him. "You're my friend kid, one of my best friends to be exact, and I'll do absolutely anything for you." ~I love you, Kid, ~ his mind added silently though he restrained from saying those words. As he had told Garcia more than once, he was sure those words would freak the younger man out and he couldn't imagine not having Reid in his life.

"Yeah, like push a handcuffed prisoner up against the wall and threaten his life during a custodial," Reid ventured, thinking of their experience up in Attica, New York a few weeks ago.

"You think I was just going to sit there and let him talk about you like that," Morgan said, recalling how Cabanna had started talking about what he and his fellow inmates would do to Reid if they were able to get their hands on him. Morgan had tried twice to redirect the interview back to the convict's previous crimes but when Cabanna had made the comment that Reid would enjoy it, the dark-skinned profiler had lost it, quickly moving around the table and dragging the guy from the chair and pushing him against the wall. Cabanna's whispered 'what? You want your turn at him,' had been had elicited the threat Reid had mentioned.

"It was just idle talk. Cabanna was trying to get an emotional response from us in order to feel like he was in charge of the interview."

"So that makes it okay?"

"Well, no but by showing the reaction you did, you gave him exactly what he wanted. I'm not surprised he wasn't willing to continue the interview after that."

"I really didn't care if he did or not. We had already found out his motive behind the killings - that he was avenging the destroyed career of the uncle who had raised him, who though he had been cleared of the charges of inappropriate relations with a female student had lost his job and credibility in the process. Cabanna chose to take justice into his own hand and kill college students that represented the one he felt had ruined his uncles life. The guy deserves to be behind bars."

"I won't argue that but there was more we could have learned. He might have told us how he was finding out about the accusations - some of which hadn't been made official yet. He killed students from several different schools. Also, we still don't know why he chose to set fires as the way to kill his victims. Was it because he couldn't actually kill his victims himself or did fire have some deeper meaning?"

"Okay, so I screwed up. I get it but can we let it drop," Morgan said, having already heard a lecture from Hotch about his behavior at the custodial. A lecture that had been less severe than Morgan would have anticipated but he hadn't questioned it, feeling like he had dodged a bullet.

"I wasn't trying to scold you for making a mistake," Reid said, his voice having dropped lowering and sounding apologetic now. "It's just that . . . well you seem to make rash decisions when you think I'm in danger."

"I'm protective of everyone on the team, Kid. I just hate to see the people I care about hurt."

Morgan thought he saw a hint of disappointment on Reid's face as he nodded in acknowledgment of the answer, causing Morgan to wonder if the younger man had been hoping for a different answer. In a moment it was gone though, and the dark-skinned agent started to believe he had imagined it.

"I do appreciate you willing to tag along, Morgan. You just took me by surprise."

"And if I hadn't surprised you, would you have agreed to me coming?"

"Probably not," Reid conceded. "So, just how did you get the seat next to me on this flight."

"A certain blonde computer analyst we both know," Morgan admitted.

"I figured that. Did she get you the hotel room next to mine too?"

"No. She wasn't able to manage that as the hotel was getting close to being fully booked. I'm on the floor below you."

"Good, so I won't have to worry about you breaking down the door and trying to give me a heart attack this time around."

"You're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

Reid allowed a small smile to come to his face. "Not for a while, no."

* * *

><p>Reid deposited his bags in the trunk of the car he and Morgan had rented and then made his way to the passenger seat. As he opened the door, Morgan slammed the trunk shut behind him. Climbing into the car, the Las Vegas native had to admit he was glad Morgan had tagged along. The older man's presence was reassuring in a way that Reid didn't completely understand.<p>

"So are we heading to the hotel first?" Morgan asked as he slid in behind the wheel, and put the keys into the ignition.

"Did you have any plans?" Reid asked, having another destination in mind but not wanting to inconvenience his friend.

"None at all, Kid. I wasn't sure how you were going to react to my presence so I figured I'd wing it when I got out here. What did you have in mind?" Morgan asked, knowing the younger man had to have a reason for asking the question.

"Well, I'm not meeting Ethan until six tonight, so I thought I might stop by Bennington and visit with my mother a bit. I haven't seen her since I was here back in November."

"Just give me the directions, Kid," Morgan said, turning the key and bringing the motor of the car to life.

Reid nodded, as he pulled the seatbelt across him and settled back in the seat. Beside him, Morgan clicked his own seatbelt in place before pulling the car away from the curb.


	5. Nothing Seems To Go Right

Spencer Reid sat quietly at his mother's bedside, grateful that she seemed peaceful now that she had fallen asleep, even if that sleep was aided by medicine. Though he had seen them plenty of times before, seeing his mother overly agitated or having one of her episodes was never easy. It always made him feel guilty that he couldn't do something more for her.

Reid placed the hand he was holding gently on the bed and let go. Leaning over he placed a kiss on her cheek before standing up. Feeling a bit reluctant, he quietly left the room. Not only was Morgan out in the waiting room but Ethan was expecting him to join him for dinner. Cancelling the dinner engagement would have been one thing, but Reid had a feeling that he would never be able to convince Morgan to go back to the hotel without him. Knowing Morgan was sitting out in the waiting room would only make him feel guilty especially when his mother was resting peacefully and his presence was making much difference.

~_If I hadn't come here in the first place she might never have gotten agitated to the point of needing to be sedated,_ ~ Reid thought guiltily as he approached the nurses' station. After a brief conversation with the nurse on duty, the young genius made his way out to the reception area.

It didn't take long for Reid to spot Morgan who was getting to his feet. Even as he headed in that direction, the dark-skinned agent started walking toward him. They met in the middle of the room.

"How is she?" Morgan asked, searching his friend's face for the answer as much as he was waiting for the reply.

"The medicine worked and she's resting comfortably. They'll let me know how she is when she wakes up."

"I'm sorry, Kid. Perhaps I should have just waited out here to begin with."

Reid shook his head. "No. It's not your fault. I know what she's like. I should have just introduced you as a friend and not mentioned work. Her paranoid delusions often revolve around the government so . . ." Reid let the thought trail off not wanting to go into further details.

Despite having met Morgan once, when Reid had brought Diana Reid to Washington for her protection during the Fisher Kind case, it didn't surprise him that she hadn't remembered Morgan. There were times when Reid wondered if she knew who he was.

"I'm in no hurry, Kid. If you want to stay longer . . ."

Reid shook his head again. "No. Ethan's expecting us for dinner. Besides, she's asleep now and I probably shouldn't have come in the first place."

"Don't say that, I'm sure she appreciated you stopping by. Besides, you needed to see her if nothing else."

Reid refrained from voicing the protest that was on the tip of his tongue. He knew Morgan would see it for the defensive measure that it was. Reid often felt like that he couldn't win when it came to his mother. No matter what he did, he somehow always felt guilty.

"We should go or we're going to be late meeting Ethan for dinner," Reid said, as he began walking toward the front doors of the facility.

Morgan followed without comment, resting a hand briefly on Reid's shoulder as they walked. Reid felt a momentary rush of support at the brief gesture and found himself wishing that Morgan had not removed his hand. Even more than that though, the young genius found himself wishing the older man would give him a hug. Somehow he knew that he would feel safe with those strong arms around him. That things would be better if Morgan just held him. That the darker things in his life could temporarily be kept at bay.

_~It's never going to happen, _~ Reid told himself as he exited the building. ~_Not even in a platonic way, as Morgan just wasn't the hugging type. He didn't even hug you in the graveyard after the ordeal with Tobias.~ _

Then again, Reid wasn't exactly the hugging type himself but he would gladly make an exception for Morgan if ever given the chance. Especially as he had found out how comforting a hug could be after going through a tough ordeal thanks to JJ and the others.

~_Never going to happen, _~ Reid told himself a second time, stealing a glance at Morgan as they made their way toward the rental car.

With Reid leading once again, he and Morgan made their way into the Hard Rock Café where Ethan and Reid had agreed to meet for dinner. Stepping through the doors of the restaurant, the young genius spotted Ethan not far from the entrance. The musician was scanning the restaurant himself, apparently looking for Reid. Stepping up to him, Reid tapped Ethan on the shoulder.

"Looking for me?" Reid asked when Ethan looked in his direction.

"Spencer, my man," Ethan said, genuinely glad to see his old high school and college friend. Without hesitation he enveloped Reid in a quick hug. Taking a step back, he looked the young genius up and down. "You're looking better than the last time I saw you."

"I'm doing better," Reid replied easily, recalling how messed up he had been when he had last seen Ethan down in New Orleans. "Ethan this is my co-worker, Derek Morgan," he added, gesturing to the other agent. "Morgan decided to come enjoy the pleasure of Vegas this weekend so I invited him to join us for dinner tonight," Reid added, not about to admit that Morgan had tagged along to keep an eye on him. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Ethan replied, extending his hand to Morgan. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Reid mentions you quite often."

"Likewise," Morgan replied, shaking the offered hand.

"Actually, I've got someone I'd like to introduce to you as well," Ethan said, taking a step back. A brunette is a form fitting navy blue dress stepped up to his side. Though not what you could call skinny, her well-toned body didn't appear to have any excess fat on it. "This is my girlfriend, Evangeline Scarsdale."

Reid and Morgan both exchanged greetings with the young woman - Evangeline asking them to call her Eve as she shook their hands. After the introductions were through, the group stepped up to the hostess stand. After a brief wait, the group was shown to a table in the middle of the restaurant.

There was little talk at first, all four of them trying to choose what they wanted. After giving their waiter their order, small talk began as the group got to know one another. Though he tried to stay engaged in the conversation at first, Reid found it difficult. He was soon withdrawing from the talk being exchanged, content to let the three more outgoing people at the table carry the conversation. Though Ethan and Eve didn't seem to notice, Morgan did. As the happy couple related the tale of how they met, Reid could feel the older agent's eyes on him but refrained from even glancing in that direction not wanting to meet his gaze.

The group had finished dinner and was figuring out the bill when Reid's phone vibrated. Glancing down he saw the hospital's number on the screen.

"Go ahead," Morgan said, able to tell who was calling just from watching Reid's expression. "I've got this covered," he added, nodding toward the table.

"Thanks," Reid said getting to his feet.

Flipping the phone open, he started the conversation as he made his way toward the entrance. Once he stepped out into the warm Vegas night, he had an easier time hearing the nurse on the other end of the line. He was ending the conversation with the nurse at Bennington when the others joined him, Morgan leading the other two.

"Everything okay?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah. She was calm when she woke up though it seems like she doesn't even recall I stopped by to visit."

"I'm sorry, Kid."

Reid shrugged, trying to put it off as not important. "It's probably for the best," he replied, not really believing those words.

"You'll have time to go see her before the reunion tomorrow," Ethan suggested. Having interacted with Diana Reid as the two were growing up, Ethan understood the situation with just the little information he had gotten from Morgan and the brief exchange he had just witnessed. "I could tag along if you would like."

"Thanks for the offer, but it'll be fine," Reid told him, knowing that Ethan didn't care for being at the sanitarium. "I'm not even sure I'm going to go back."

"Well if you change your mind just let me know," Ethan offered. Reid nodded his head once in acknowledgment. "What about the reunion tomorrow? Do you want me to pick you up or are we going to just meet there?"

"I'll meet you there," Reid replied quickly. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck at the reunion until Ethan decided he wanted to leave. If things got too awkward, Reid wanted to be able to leave without inconveniencing his friend.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow night then but realize if you don't show I'm going to come looking for you." Ethan took a step closer and pulled Reid into a hug. "It was good to see you agin."

"You too, man." Reid felt a wave of guilt wash over him due to the fact that he hadn't been more conversational during dinner. ~_I'll just have to make up for it tomorrow evening, _~ Reid thought.

"If you change your mind about the ride . . ."

"I'll give you a call," Reid finished for him, already knowing that he wasn't going to change his mind.

Reid turned to Eve. "It was nice to meet you," he told her as Ethan bid farewell to Morgan.

"You too! Ethan talks so much about you that it will be nice to have a face to put with the name from now on," Eve told him as she took a step forward. She embraced Reid, the young genius instinctively stiffening up as he awkwardly returned the gesture.

With a final good-bye as they started heading in separate directions, as Ethan and Eve were staying with the musicians parents over the weekend, the group parted. Morgan and Reid started in the direction of their hotel, having walked to the restaurant. The walk was silent and before long they were walking into the hotel lobby. Tired of the silence, Morgan spoke.

"Reid, what is going on with you?"

"Nothing," Reid replied as the two walked across the crowded lobby toward the elevators.

"Reid."

The young genius sighed. Reid knew that tone. That was the tone Morgan used when he wasn't going to let a subject drop until he was satisfied with the answer. Until he got the truth.

"I just can't seem to do anything right. I go to visit my mother and only manage to be the trigger for one of her episodes. Then I wasn't good company at dinner."

"I don't think they noticed. Those two are still so infatuated with each other that not much is going to phase them."

"I noticed." Reid stabbed the up button as they reached the elevator. "And I'm sure you noticed."

"I'm a profiler. It's my job to notice things," Morgan joked. When all Reid did was cross his arms in front of him, Morgan realized trying to lighten the moment wasn't going to work. "You need to relax."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one that is going to have to face his old high school classmates tomorrow and even if you were at least you had friends."

The door to the elevator opened and the two profilers waited for several people to exit before stepping inside. The doors shut before anyone joined them.

"Ethan will be there," Morgan said as he slid his hotel keycard through the card reader before hitting the buttons for both of their floors. "Maybe you should just go with him and Eve instead of meeting them there."

Reid shook his head as he leaned back against the hand rail. "Then I'd have to stay until Ethan is ready to leave. If I feel like making an early escape, I want to be able to without ruining anyone else's evening." There was a brief silence between them as the elevator started moving upwards. "Did you want the car tomorrow evening? If so I'll rent a . . . "

Reid trailed of as Morgan held up his hand. "I told you before, Kid, I don't have any set plans. If you want the car, then take it. Or I can drive you there and pick you up when it's over. You can either call me when you're ready to leave or I'll pick you up when it's over at eleven."

"I'm sure you would prefer . . . "

"Reid, the main reason I came out here is to provide moral support. Hell, I'd be right there at that reunion with you if you would let me."

"I don't need you to hold my hand, Morgan."

"This isn't about anyone holding anybody's hand! There is nothing wrong with accepting a little help from time to time. You don't always have to do everything alone despite what you may think."

"I know that."

"Do you really, Kid?" Morgan asked, making direct eye contact with his younger teammate. "I know you had to learn to look out for yourself at a young age. That you had to look out for your mother at times. You were forced to grow up quicker than most people and it's hard learning to trust others when . . . "

"I do trust you, Morgan."

"Then why do you constantly fight me when I try to help you."

Reid looked down at his feet as the elevator started slowing down. Morgan glanced at the floor indicator to see that the circle with his floor number was now lit up. The doors opened and Morgan stepped into the doorframe. Turning, he glanced back at Reid.

"We'll talk about this in the morning, Kid. Think about my offer but remember, I came out here to make sure I was available if my best friend should need me. Nothing you ask me to do is an inconvenience. You understand me?"

Reid nodded in reply, though he didn't raise his head to meet Morgan's gaze.

Morgan finally stepped out of the way, allowing the door to close behind him. As the elevator started moving again, Reid finally looked up from the floor.

~_I can't do anything right, _~ he thought, pushing off the rail and walking toward the front of the elevator in anticipation of the next stop.

~_This was a bad idea. I should have never come out here, _~ Reid told himself as the elevator doors opened and he stepped out. ~_There are very few good memories here and the idea that this trip could change that is ludicrous._~

As Reid walked down the hallway toward his room, he wished he had stayed back in D.C.

In his own room, Morgan lay on the bed in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. He could only hope that he did the right thing by backing off when he did. That giving Reid some space right now was the right thing to do and didn't give the kid the impression that he didn't care, which couldn't be further from the truth.

~_He's out here because of me. If anything happens - if he gets hurt physically or emotionally - then it's my fault. Maybe I should have just left well enough alone and not pushed for him to come. Things definitely haven't gone well so far._~

Morgan thought about the day. He had surprised Reid on the plane with his presence - a presence that Reid had seemed to reluctantly accept. Then his presence had upset Diana Reid, which only caused Reid to worry. That worry had led him to be preoccupied during dinner which had led the kid to feel as if he hadn't been good company. Morgan was starting to think that perhaps staying home and out of all of this would have been the best course of action. The dark-skinned agent balled hand into a fist and let it drop down on the mattress beside him.

_~It seems like I've only made things worse. I wanted to help him through this and instead all I seem to be doing is making things harder on him. Well, I'll try to take a step back tomorrow. I won't push anything. If he says he wants the car, I'll just agree to it. Reid's right, he can take care of himself and he has my phone number if he needs to call.~_

Morgan closed his eyes, trying to put the situation out of his head for now. There wasn't anything he could do right now anyway. At least not anything that wouldn't ruin his friendship with the young agent even more.

What Morgan wanted to do was to go to Reid's room and tell him exactly how he felt. To wrap his arms around the younger man and never let go. To be able to protect the young genius without any of the restraints that currently existed.

~_And if Reid doesn't feel the same way, then I lose him forever.~_

Morgan felt trapped. No matter what he did, all he could see was the possibility that Reid would get hurt and that was exactly what he was trying to avoid.

A knock on the door broke through Morgan's thoughts. ~_Who would be knocking on my hotel door at this time of night? ~ _he asked, swinging his feet over the side of the bed. He flipped on the lamp beside the bed, and clad only in a pair of grey sweat pants, headed for the door.

Morgan glanced quickly through the peephole and then quickly slid the security bolt back and opened the door.

"Reid! Is something wrong?" Morgan asked, instinctively looking his friend over for any visible signs of injury, relieved when he didn't see anything.

"No, well sort of," Reid replied, as Morgan's eyes met his own. Reid looked down briefly only to quickly meet the older man's look once more. "It's just that I was in my room thinking, and I felt bad about the things I said. I know you're only trying to help me and I haven't exactly been appreciative."

"There is no need to apologize, Kid. It's been a rough day for you. I get it."

As if he didn't hear Morgan's words, Reid continued.

"It's just that you surprised me on the plane and I'm already worried about what is going to happen tomorrow. I've never been one for social gatherings and high school wasn't exactly a picnic but Ethan wanted me to go and you think I should face things. Then there was that episode with my mother. I'm sorry you had to see her like that. I don't like seeing her like that and I was lousy company during dinner. I felt like everything just kept piling up."

The image of pulling Reid into his arms and kissing him was foremost in Morgan's mind. He held himself in check though. Now definitely wasn't the time for that, after everything else Reid had been through today. However, the dark-skinned agent did reach out and gently took a hold of Reid's arm to pull him into the room. Pushing the door shut, Morgan then wrapped his arms around the younger man holding him in a tight embrace.

"You've got nothing to apologize for, Kid," Morgan told him softly, not letting go despite the stiffness he felt in the younger man's body.

Before long he felt Reid put his arms around him and give him a tentative hug. Feeling the tension in Reid's body, Morgan wanted nothing more than to hold onto the younger man forever. To be able to show Reid that physical contact wasn't necessarily a bad thing. To banish every memory the kid had of the times he had been hurt.

That wasn't to be though, and when Reid finally started to pull away, Morgan reluctantly let him go. As they put some distance between them, Morgan saw tears glistening in Reid's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Reid said, looking up toward the ceiling in an attempt to keep those tears from falling.

"Quit apologizing," Morgan told him gently. "Come on, let's sit down," he suggested, motioning toward the main part of the room.

The two quietly made their way toward the room's lone window, taking chairs on either side of the small circular table. Morgan sat patiently across the table from his teammate, waiting for Reid to speak first. The younger man had come seeking him out, and Morgan wasn't going to pressure him into doing anything.


	6. Confession

Morgan watched the young man across the table from him closely as Reid played with the end of the tie he was still wearing. He could see that Reid was thinking, probably trying to figure out how to say whatever he had come to say besides the apology that he had already gotten out. If there hadn't been anything else he wanted to say, Reid would have retreated from the room by now.

"Morgan, I didn't tell you all he details about that night when I first told you about it when we were in Texas," Reid finally said. Though his voice was low, Morgan was able to hear the words clearly. Could hear the guilt in them.

"Okay," Morgan replied slowly. "There's nothing wrong with that, Kid. You shared what you felt comfortable sharing at the time. Is there something else that you want to share with me now?"

Reid swallowed hard, his Adam's apple visibly moving with the action.

"After they stripped me and tied me to the goalpost, they didn't just stand there and watch," Reid said quietly.

"I imagine there were a lot of throwing insults and laughing going on," Morgan ventured, when the silence seemed to drag on.

Reid nodded. "But that wasn't the worst part of it. The teasing and laughter were an everyday thing. I was use to it by then," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

~_No one should ever get used to that kind of treatment_, ~ Morgan thought, thinking of his own experience with it. He had chosen to do something about it. Find a way to stand up to his tormentors. Reid hadn't been able to do that.

"I was already humiliated enough that I was naked - I don't know if the fact that it was both guys and girls there made it better or not but I guess tying me to the goal post like that wasn't enough for them."

Morgan's brain was coming up with ideas about where this was going and he didn't like it. ~_Please, don't let him say what I think he's going to say_, ~ Morgan's mind pleaded silently. Thoughts of what Carl Buford did to him came to mind and the thought of a twelve-year-old kid being subjected to that kind of treatment by kids five or six years his senior was making him see red. ~_If any of them subjected him to that kind of abuse, I will search them out and . . . ~_

Morgan let the thought trail off as Reid started talking once again.

"A couple of them had cameras with them. Alexa Lizben had a camera. I remember seeing her laughing face as she pressed the button. As if it was enough that the football team had witnessed my humiliation . . . those pictures seemed to haunt me the rest of the school year. I never knew when they would show up." Reid swallowed hard, trying to check his emotions, before looking up and gazing across the table at Morgan. "What if one of those pictures show up at the reunion tomorrow night? I'll never be able to live down the humiliation. Nor am I exactly the ideal image of a human male nowadays."

~_I wouldn't be so sure about that, Kid. I'd definitely like to see you without those clothes on, _~ Morgan found himself thinking.

"Reid you're borrowing trouble," Morgan said out loud, hoping the words didn't come off as too dismissive of his friend's fears. "A lot of things from our school days tend to get thrown out or packed away. Chances are, no one even has any of those pictures anymore."

"What if they do?"

"Then you hold your head up high and leave. People like that aren't worth your time worrying about. The idea is for you to go have a good time at your high school reunion with Ethan. If that doesn't happen, there is nothing saying you can't make it an early night," Morgan told him. Across the table Reid nodded, although he was back to looking down at his tie and playing with it. "Then when you get back here, you can find me and tell me what an idiot I was for convincing you to go in the first place," Morgan said lightly.

The words had the desired effect, as the slightest trace of a smile appeared on the corners of Reid's mouth.

There was a brief moment of silence between them before Reid got to his feet. "It's late. I shouldn't be keeping you up like this," he said softly, as he started walking toward the door.

"It's fine, Kid. My door is always open to you," Morgan told him. ~_As is my heart, _~ he added silently.

"I know," Reid said, "and I appreciate it. It's been a long day and we're both probably exhausted - I know I am."

"Okay, then. I'll come get you for breakfast," Morgan told him as he got to his feet, sensing that Reid was pulling away again. "Eight o'clock? Or do you want to sleep in?"

"Eight is fine. I'll see you then," Reid replied, reaching the door. He reached for the doorknob and let himself out of the room.

Continuing toward the door, Morgan reached it as the door clicked shut. Morgan leaned forward and rested his head against the door Reid had just walked out. It hurt to watch him leave like that when he longed to hold the younger man close to him and soothe away all his troubles if he could.

* * *

><p>Reaching his hotel room, Reid headed for his bed and crawled into it, kicking shoes off in the process. He grabbed one of the large hotel pillows and hugged it close to him trying to draw comfort from it. After having been hugged by Morgan though the pillow did nothing for him. It was soft and cool, where Morgan's bare chest had provided something firm and warm for him to be close to. To draw comfort from.<p>

The last thing that Reid had wanted to do was to move away from Morgan's embrace but he had been scared that if he had held on too long he might give his friend the wrong impression. Or well, it would be the right impression in that it was how Reid honestly felt, but it would ruin his friendship with Morgan and it was that friendship that kept him going some days. The last thing the young genius wanted to do was to alienate Morgan. To lose the one person who meant the most to him after his mother. It was why he had gone to apologize in the first place.

Telling Morgan the rest of what had happened out on that football field fifteen years ago had felt good. It was like he was sharing the burden instead of carrying it around. It didn't change what happened. It didn't change the fears and anxieties that he felt about the upcoming reunion. The only thing it changed was that Morgan had a better understanding of where he was coming from.

With a sigh, Reid let go of the pillow, and rolled onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling. Not for the first time, Reid thought about just not going tomorrow night. He could call Ethan in the morning and tell him he had changed his mind. His friend had Eve to keep him company during the reunion tomorrow. Reid had a feeling that the couple really wouldn't miss him anyway. The only other person at the reunion that Reid might possibly like to see again was Parker as it had been awhile since he had seen him during a case in LA. Even then, Parker had teased him about looking like he had in high school and despite always feeling young due to always being with people who were older than him, Reid hardly thought he looked twelve.

~_I won't go. Ethan can take Eve and catch up with whoever he wants. He won't even miss me, ~ _Reid told himself, feeling a sense of calm come over him at the decision. ~_I'll go see my mother, spend a good portion of the day with her and perhaps Morgan and I can fly home tomorrow night instead of Sunday_.~

Morgan. As soon as he thought of his friend, Reid immediately saw the disappointment that would be in Morgan's eyes when he heard those plans. Morgan might not say anything, might tell him he understood but deep down Reid knew he would be disappointed in him. Disappointed that he had backed out of this opportunity to face past demons.

~_I can't win. Either I go and face whatever the reunion holds for me or I back out and live with the fact that I disappointed Morgan_.~

Reid let out another sigh. It was a no-win situation but somehow, a few hours dealing with people he would hopefully never see again was somehow preferable to having to live with the knowledge that he had disappointed Morgan.

Resigned to the fact that he was going to have to at least make an appearance at the reunion, Reid closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. It didn't take long for old memories to start haunting him. In an attempt to banish those demons for the moment, Reid tried instead to concentrate on a more recent memory - namely the one where Morgan's arms were around him holding him tight.

* * *

><p>Morgan glanced at his watch and then back at the elevators. Reid was now ten minutes late, having said he would meet Morgan in the lobby at five o'clock. Morgan had been relieved when Reid had consented to let him drive the younger man to the reunion and pick him up. Morgan's fear was that if things went bad, Reid would avoid him afterwards instead of letting him give the moral support he had made the trip out to Vegas for.<p>

Wondering if the kid was getting cold feet, Morgan headed for the elevator. Before long he was on Reid's floor and walking toward the younger man's hotel room. Reaching room 743, Morgan reached out and knocked on the door. When he didn't get an answer for a few minutes he knocked again, wondering if they had managed to miss each other on his way up.

"I'm coming," Reid called from inside the room.

Moments later the door was opened and Reid stood before him - black slacks, a black dress shirt, a tie undone hanging around his neck. Looking down at the floor the two mismatched argyle socks were clearly visible as Reid didn't yet have his shoes on.

"Unless you plan on going barefoot, you're clearly not ready," Morgan commented, looking back up.

Reid turned from the door and headed into the room's bathroom. "I'm having trouble with my tie," he replied, a long sigh following the words.

Morgan walked into the room, and let the door shut behind him. Standing just outside of the bathroom he watched as Reid made an attempt at knotting the tie - and was successful to a point. The tie now had a knot in it but not the one it was supposed to have. As long fingers worked on taking the knot out, Morgan bit his lower lip gently to keep from laughing.

"Here let me," Morgan said, stepping into the bathroom.

Reid gave a resigned sigh and turned sideways as Morgan came to a stop in front of him. The fact that he didn't give a word of protest to the offer of help told Morgan just how nervous and frustrated Reid was feeling right now.

Morgan made short order of the tie. "There you go. Now get some shoes on and I can still get you to the reunion in time to be fashionably late instead of just outright late," Morgan said lightly as he turned and leaned against the bathroom counter.

"Why would you care if I'm late?" Reid commented as he started out of the bathroom past Morgan. "Though you're kind of dressed up yourself," he added, taking in the dark-skinned profiler's black dress shoes, black dockers, and navy dress shirt on which the top two buttons had been left undone. "If you're worried about making your own date on time, I'll find another way to the reunion."

"I don't have a date this evening," Morgan replied. "As for the clothes, well maybe I just want to look nice in case you change your mind and decide you want a little back-up at the reunion tonight."

"I'm going to a high school reunion, Morgan, not going undercover," Reid called in reply, rasing his voice a little as he was now in the main area of the room.

"You may not be any safer than if you were going undercover," Morgan said softly as he pushed off the counter and followed Reid.

"What was that?" Reid asked, pulling black dress shoes out from underneath the bed.

Morgan noted how new the dress shoes looked as Reid slipped one on. They didn't really look like they had been worn before.

"Did you buy new shoes the reunion?" Morgan asked.

"No. Why?"

Those look like they haven't been worn."

"I've worn them before - twice in fact. They're not comfortable though so I only wear them for certain events."

Morgan grinned, thinking of the canvas shoes or loafers that he normally saw Reid in. Being in style was certainly not something Reid could be accused of, though Morgan had to admire the Kid's confidence to wear what he wanted and not care about current trends. Reid dressed for his comfort - not style.

"I'm ready," Reid finally said getting to his feet. "Time to get this over with."

"Try not to sound so enthusiastic there, Kid," Morgan commented as the two of them left the hotel room.

As they walked down the hallway, Morgan heard Reid muttered something under his breath, but didn't quite catch the words. Deciding he probably was better off not knowing, Morgan didn't ask the genius to repeat himself.


	7. Arrival

Reid watched the familiar sights of Las Vegas pass by as Morgan drove the rental car along the streets of unconventional hometown. As they neared Las Vegas High School, the Nevada native felt his trepidation rise. Plenty of 'unforgettable' moments had happened during his high school years but very few of them were pleasant. Was it wishful thinking to expect that to change tonight? Reid was inclined to answer that question with one word - yes.

It was close to six thirty when they arrived at the high school. The parking lot was full and Reid felt clammy as his nerves increased. More people meant a higher likelihood of meeting up with his tormentors of the past, as well as more witnesses to any new humiliation. As Morgan pulled the car up to the curb in front of the main entrance, Reid thought briefly about asking the older man to park the car and come with him after all. Then, if nothing else, at least he knew one person would be on his side.

As quickly as the thought had come, his courage to actually ask the question faded away. He couldn't actually ask Morgan to hang out with him tonight. What would people think? What would Morgan think? Sure, Morgan had offered to accompany him tonight, but it was only because he was trying to look out for him. Derek Morgan was a protector. He felt it was his duty to protect those he felt were important in his life. Reid had often thought it came from the fact that Morgan had lost his father at such a young age. As the only male member of the family, it was natural for him to feel he had to be the man of the house. That he had to look out for his mother and sisters. As he grew older, that feeling just naturally grew to include his friends. It was Morgan's protective nature that had spurred him to follow Reid out to Vegas and even offer to come to the reunion with him. And, as touched as he was by the gesture, Reid also couldn't deny the disappointment that he felt. He wished the offer to meant something more - though he knew that his musings would remain nothing more than a wish.

Reid took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Sitting in the car wasn't going to accomplish anything. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he entered and made the traditional 'How have you been rounds, the sooner he could leave. Reaching out a shaky hand, he wrapped his long slender fingers around the door handle and pulled it. The door opened with a pop, and the heat from outside was stark contrast to the air-conditioned environment of the car. Reid took a deep breath and then climbed slowly out of the vehicle, letting his breath out slowly as he did so.

"I'll be here at eleven, Kid, unless I get a phone call telling me something different," Morgan said.

Reid glanced around quickly, hoping there was no one within ear shot. Though he knew Morgan was just confirming their agreement, Reid suddenly felt like a kid being dropped off for a school dance by his father.

~_Except that I never went to the school dances and even if I had, neither parent would have been around. Dad had abandoned us by then and Mom - well even if she had been lucid enough to drop me off I would have never been able to count on her being lucid enough later to pick me up later, _~ Reid thought, even as he nodded in response to Morgan's words.

"Don't hesitate to call if you want to leave early," Morgan told him. "I mean it Reid."

"I will," Reid said, on the verge of asking Morgan to come with him just like he had been moments earlier. Like then, he didn't give into the urge.

Instead, Reid shut the door and turned away from the vehicle. Stuffing his hands into his pants pockets he slowly walked toward his old high school. There were few people outside right now, not that he expected there to be as he was a half hour late. Those who were outside at this point were smoking, or chatting with someone who was. None of them paid much attention to his arrival. He had already called Ethan on the drive over here and told him to go on in and that he'd find him and Eve when he arrived. As he neared the entrance, Reid found himself wishing he had taken Ethan up on his offer to wait outside for him.

Letting out a soft sigh, Reid showed his ticket to the person at the door and stepped into his old high school, feeling the same dread he'd experienced stepping through this doors as a kid return. Just like then, he felt so much younger than the people scattered, chatting in groups around the lobby. Reid scanned the crowd for Ethan and Eve, his friend having told him that they would wait for him in the lobby.

Before he spotted them however, he felt a hand clamp down roughly on his shoulder. Glancing over he recognized Rick Lambert, who had been the school's star quarterback while Reid had been in high school, standing next to him.

"Spencer Reid, you're the last person I expected to show their face here," Rick said. Reid could smell the alcohol on his breath and absently noted that the glass Rick held was half empty. "Still as skinny as ever, I see."

Reid felt the heat rise in his cheeks recalling that Rick and some of his buddies would know exactly how skinny he had been back in high school.

"Hi, Rick," Reid said, trying to force himself to sound calm. "How have you been?"

"Not bad. Working with my Dad at the family sporting goods store. Good steady job that keeps my kids in private school instead of the public school system. I try to do right by them even if I only see them every other weekend. What about you? What are you doing these days?"

"Working for the FBI actually."

"FBI, huh? What are you doing, working as an analyst or something?"

Before Reid to counter the misconception another familiar voice spoke up.

"Agent Reid, fancy meeting you here," Parker Dunlevy said as he joined the two of them.

"Agent huh?" Rick responded, looking Reid up and down. "What did they do, waive the physical requirements for you? You don't look like you'd be able to handle an arrest any more than you could have tackled me in high school."

Both Parker and Rick shared a laugh at that. Reid again scanned the lobby for Ethan, wanting to find a way to escape.

"Yeah, I was surprised myself when I caught up with Spencer in LA a few years back. Who knew they let twelve year olds into the FBI? It reminded me of a son with his father on 'Take your kid to work Day' when I met him and his partner at my art gallery. But what about you, Rick? I thought by now I would've heard your name linked with one of the pro-teams."

"Things didn't turn out the way I wanted. Knee injury my junior year of college kept me from continuing," Rick replied, a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"That sucks man. You were great back in high school," Parker commented.

Thankfully, Reid spotted Ethan and Eve across the room at that time. Excusing himself, he slipped out from between the two men and started across the lobby.

"Yeah, well I guess some of us can't catch the lucky breaks," Rick commented.

"You mean like Spencer there? Who would have thought the little nerdy guy from high school would make the tabloids with this little television starlet I had my eye on."

Parker's voice faded into the symphony of other voices as Reid made his way through the crowd. As he neared Ethan and Eve Reid realized there was a third person with the couple. Though she was older now, and had put on a bit of weight, there was no mistaking her smile. Time may have changed Alexa Lizben, but Reid had to admit she was still one of the prettiest women at the reunion, though the person he had his eyes on nowadays was quite different from her.

"Spencer, glad you could finally make it! Was wondering if you were going to back out on me," Ethan said, as Reid joined the group.

"No, I just lost track of time," Spencer told him.

"You remember Alexa, don't you?" Ethan said, gesturing to their old classmate.

"Yeah, I remember her. You're looking good, Alexa. Time seems to have treated you well." Spencer began feeling like the temperature in the room had risen a few degrees. He had tried hard to avoid her after the incident on the football field but there was no way to avoid her right now without coming off as rude. He only hoped his face wasn't turning pink.

"Why thank-you. I guess running after three kids will keep one in shape," Alexa replied.

"Three kids? I'm sure they keep you busy," Spencer commented.

"That they do. Alex, he's my oldest, is ten and quite the adventurer. He loves sports, especially basketball. Lily is a bundle of energy. She's two and will get into anything she can if you don't keep your eye on there. My middle boy, Daniel, is eight but in the same grade as Alex much to his older brother's displeasure. He's like a sponge with knowledge though, and devours books. He sure doesn't take after either of his parents when in comes to school. I worry about him more than Alex." Alexa paused, taking the time to catch Reid's eyes with her own. "He actually reminds me a lot of you, Spencer."

Reid saw the unspoken apology there in the depths of his childhood crush's blue eyes. He nodded slightly, letting her know that he understood. It didn't erase the hurt of what had happened in the past, but at least she recognized the wrong in what she had did. Knowing that eased the pain of those memories, even if it was just a little.

"Here you go, darling," another male voice said. A tall dark-haired man with a tailored suit had joined them and was handing a glass to Alexa.

"Thank-you," Alexa replied, accepting the glass from the man. "Darren, I want you to meet another one of my classmates, Spencer Reid. Spencer, this is my husband, Darren Witiker."

"Good to meet you, Spencer." Darren said, holding out his hand. Spencer shook the extended hand as Darren continued speaking. "Spencer Reid? Your father wouldn't happen to be William Reid would he?"

Reid stuffed his hands nervously into his pants pocket, and shifted his weight slightly at the mention of his father. "Yeah, he is, actually," Reid forced himself to say, trying to keep any sound of bitterness out of his voice as he spoke. He hadn't spoken with his father since he had looked into the Riley Jenkins case, despite his father having made several attempts to contact him.

"I work with William at Wieder, Kirschenbaum & Moore. He speaks of you often. He's very proud of you. I can't count of how many times I've heard him tell people his son is the youngest agent in the history of the FBI."

Reid wasn't sure how to respond to that. Somehow, knowing that his father had bragged about him to co-workers but not bothered to stay in contact with him for seventeen years just made the anger he often felt when thinking of his father flare brighter. What right did William Reid have to brag about the son that he had abandoned?

Ethan, who knew about Reid's feeling toward his father, noticed how uncomfortable his friend was and decided to take the attention from him. "I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm hungry and the food on that buffet sure did look good. Why don't we all go grab something to eat?" he suggested.

There were murmurs of agreement all around the little group. Ethan looped one arm around Eve's waist and placed the other arm across Reid's shoulders as he led the group toward the gymnasium. Reid didn't protest the action. In fact, if it wasn't for Ethan's arm across his shoulder he probably would have given into the urge to bolt out the front doors.

The gymnasium was tastefully decorated in the school's colors. Reid had a hard time reconciling the space as being the same location as all of his not so fond memories of PE classes. The bleachers had been folded back against the walls to provide more room and murals of the Vegas skyline had been draped in front of them, expertly disguising metal. The buffet and drink table had been set up in front of one of the murals, the catering company's staff busy at work keeping food on the table and serving the drinks. A DJ had set up at the far end of the gymnasium, and hits of the earlier '90's were currently heard above the mindless chatter of the guests. Music that Reid hadn't heard since he was in high school. Tables had been set up along the other two sides of the room, leaving an area in the middle open for dancing. Each table had a balloon center piece, with small floating candles flickering in a glass container around the base. Above them, streamers crisscrossed one another.

"They did a nice job with the decorations," Eve commented from the other side of Ethan.

"Yeah, I guess they did. Not that I really care about that kind of thing. I came here for the food. I hope it tastes as good as it looks," Ethan said as they made their way toward the line forming at the buffet table. The comment earned him a playful poke in the ribs from Eve.

"Is food all you men think about?" Eve asked.

"Food is one of the four basic survival needs for humans. That in itself makes it important," Ethan responded.

"You know even though it is one of our basic survival needs, humans can actually live four to six weeks without food. The duration is actually dependent on factors such as body weight, genetic variations, other health considerations and the individual's hydration levels. Without water the longest someone can survive is about ten days. In fact, other than oxygen, water is the most important compound that our bodies need," Reid said.

Ethan glanced over at Eve. " Now do you understand now why it's always been a competition with this guy? No matter what, he's got to try and one up me."

"I wasn't trying to . . ." Reid started to protest. He trailed off when he noticed the amused smile on Ethan's face.

"It always was easy to get you to go all apologetic," Ethan said lightly, removing his arm from Reid's shoulders and mussing the younger man's hair.

Reid smiled at the lighthearted teasing. In a way, Ethan reminded him of Morgan since both his co-worker and Ethan seemed to take great pleasure in baiting him. They never had malicious intent though, and their teasing was always good natured, which was probably why Ethan's broad smile and Eve's light laughter didn't bother him. Even the unfamiliar sound of Darren's chuckle didn't affect Reid.

Unfortunately, the addition of Alexa's light laughter - despite in being neither malicious or long lasting - caused past memories to come to the forefront of his mind. He could picture Alexa standing there , holding a camera. The football team, lead by Rick, laughing and taunting as they pointed. Alexa's laughter had haunted him since he was eleven because he had cared about her opinion at the time; even though she was six or seven years his senior, just like the rest of the senior class. The humiliation he had felt at being tied naked to that goal post had doubled when he had realized she had been taking pictures.

_~Does she still have those pictures? ,_~ Reid thought, a feeling a panic rising in him.

"_Don't go borrowing trouble, Kid."_

Morgan's words from the night before brought him a measure of calm. That was in the past. Tonight, Alexa had been friendly toward him. He just needed to focus on that and not the past. Besides, he had moved on from Alexa long ago. These days there was someone else occupied Reid's thoughts , and he knew that person would never act as Alexa had. Knew that if he had been there back then, Reid would have received the help he had desperately begged.

"Ethan, be nice to your friend," Eve admonished as the little group joined the end of the buffet line.

At Eve's comment, Ethan looked over at Reid and took in his friend's expression. "Hey, c'mon Reid, you have admit it's funny – don't be embarrassed," Ethan motioned toward Reid's blushing cheeks.

"R-right, of course. You know me." Silently, Reid cursed his memory for being so accurate that he could have physiological responses to an event that had happened over a decade ago.

* * *

><p>Morgan had returned to his hotel room after dropping Reid off at the reunion. He now lay on top of the bed, ankles crossed and hands behind his head. The TV was on, but Morgan wasn't paying attention to it. His mind was instead preoccupied with thoughts of Reid.<p>

Morgan had sat in the car watching Reid until he had disappeared into the high school. Even then, he had wanted to get out of the car and follow the younger man. Wanted to be at his side to make sure no one did anything to upset the younger man - intentionally or not. Reid often took things too seriously and his open heart meant that his feelings were easily hurt. That sensitivity was one of the things he loved about the younger man.

Despite his advice to Reid that he not go borrowing trouble, Morgan found his mind coming up with all kinds of things that could possibly go wrong tonight. All of the scenarios involved Reid's feelings getting hurt and Morgan having to comfort him. He wouldn't even let himself entertain the thought of the kid being physically hurt. And though he didn't want to see him hurt, Morgan couldn't deny he wouldn't mind the opportunity to comfort Reid.

~I _never should have insisted that he come out here. I should have kept my nose out of his business. If anything happens . . . well that'll be on me. He wouldn't be here if I hadn't insisted that he needed to go to his reunion_.~

Morgan glanced over at the clock on the night stand - 7:01. Four more hours until he would pick Reid up. Four mores hours of worrying without any idea of what was going on. Was Reid enjoying himself? Was he enjoying catching up with Ethan? Or was Reid sitting somewhere alone contemplating if he had stayed at the reunion long enough for Morgan to feel satisfied that he had faced his past?

"I can't just lay here doing nothing. I'm going to drive myself crazy," Morgan said quietly, as he sat up on the edge of the bed.

There was nothing he could do at this point but wait until it was either time to pick Reid up or the kid called asking him to pick him up early. The thought of crashing the reunion crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it like he had been all evening. Reid would never forgive him if he did that.

~_Reid's a trained FBI agent. He wouldn't appreciate me thinking that he needs my protection at his high school. He can take care of himself and besides he's at a high school reunion. It isn't like he's walking onto a train with an armed psychotic, or being tortured and drugged by a guy with three personalities, or with a fanatical religious leader who is participating in a stand-off with the FBI. He'll be fine even, even without his gun. Not that I would mind shooting some of those idiots for what they did to him, ~_ Morgan thought as he got to his feet, the weight of his back-up piece in his ankle holster a familiar comfort.

Morgan walked over to the room's small desk and grabbed the key to the rental car and his hotel key card and slipped them into his pocket. He was in Vegas and he might as well take advantage of it. He had brought some money with him, and spending time in the casinos had to beat driving himself crazy alone in his room.

~_And who knows, I might just get lucky tonight, _~ Morgan thought as he stepped out into the hallways and pulled the door shut behind him.


	8. Chat With the Principal

AN: So, after prodding and poking and some help from my beta, here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy.

Also, the final ballot for the 2011 Profiler's Choice Criminal Minds awards is up at Chit Chat on Author's Corner. Please take the time to check it out, and enjoy the many wonderful stories there. Several of my stories- "Careless Man's Careful Daughter", "Eternal Changes", "Silent Cries", "Notorious", and "Sparks" have made the ballot.

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><p>Dr. Spencer Reid watched as one of the workers with the catering company picked up the empty plates, glasses, and silverware from the table. He had his fingers wrapped loosely around the half-filled glass of soda, assuring that it didn't get collected with everything else. The genius was now the only one at the table, the other four having abandoned him in favor of the dance floor. Sitting with his back to the wall, Reid had a view of the rest of the gymnasium. Though Alexa and Darren had been swallowed by the crowd on the dance floor, Ethan and Eve were in plain view. From the cozy position the couple had taken up as they swayed to the slow music Reid was certain that he had been forgotten by the same friend who had asked him to come to keep him company.<p>

_~I could probably slip out without anyone noticing, ~ _Reid mused, as the worker disappeared with the dirty dishes. ~_And it would probably take awhile before anyone noticed I was gone too, if they ever did, _~ he added thinking about how things had gone so far.

Quite a few people had stopped by the table while they had been eating, some stopping to chat with Ethan, though all of them had remembered Alexa. Most of the time, Reid had been overlooked. It was like he was invisible to everyone. Which, in a way, was better than how high school was. How many times had he wished he was invisible so that his tormentors would just leave him alone? On occasion, someone would recognize him and say something to him. Ask him what he was up to these days.

~_Why is it such a surprise for them to find out that I'm a FBI agent_? ~ Reid thought, the myriad of shocked reactions he had heard during the past hour playing through his mind. He lifted his glass to his lips, taking a sip of the syrupy cola soft-drink, the carbonation tickling his throat as he swallowed it.

Was it because of how they remembered him? His physical size? Or his youthful appearance? The one thing he was thankful for was that no one had told him he looked just like he did in high school like Parker Dunlevy had a few years ago. He sure hoped he didn't still look like a twelve-year-old. He might still have things to learn but he had done some growing up during the fifteen years that had passed. ~_Which apparently can't be said for everyone_, ~ he thought as his eyes fell on a table across the room where Rick Lambert and several of his old football pals sat.

The former football players were carrying on and laughing loudly. At times their laughter was loud enough to reach Reid's ears. It was a sound that he remembered all to well. One that had haunted his dreams more than once. Though he couldn't be sure, from where he sat it appeared as though Rick and his buddies were having beer chugging contests, which didn't bode well. Giving his earlier run in with Rick the last thing he wanted to do was deal with him and the other former football players after they had consumed a large amount of alcohol.

Again he considered slipping out of the room, hopefully unnoticed. It wasn't like he was actually having any fun. He could sit alone in his hotel room just as well, though he doubted that Morgan would let that happen. Even if the older man didn't try to get him to talk about his night, he could definitely see Morgan insisting that they hit the town. Spending time with Morgan wouldn't be such a shabby way to spend the rest of his evening.

Reid was just about ready to slip out and call Morgan for a ride when he heard someone say his name.

"Spencer Reid! What a surprise to finally see you at one of these reunions!"

Reid glanced in the direction of the voice to see who it was that had addressed him. Recognizing the man approaching the table, Reid got to his feet. "Principal Sellers, it's good to see you again," he said, holding his hand out to the older gentleman.

"That sentiment definitely goes both ways, Spencer," Benjamin Sellers said, shaking the proffered hand. "Or perhaps the more appropriate address would be Dr. Reid."

"That's not necessary," Spencer replied, ducking his head. The fact that his high school principle had followed him enough to know that he had gotten a doctorate degree was flattering but made him feel a bit self-conscious. He hadn't liked being the center of attention back then, and despite everything he had gone through since, that hadn't changed.

Reid found himself wondering if perhaps he shouldn't have been using the title all night. Perhaps it would have gained him some recognition among his peers. He thought of a question he had once asked Hotch about Gideon's insistence of always introducing him as Dr. Reid instead of agent like the rest of the team.

"_Do you know why he always introduces me as Dr. Reid?"_

"_Because he knows that people so you as a kid and he wants to make sure that they respect you."_*

Even now, his teammates were more likely to introduce him using doctor instead of agent though he certainly hoped that reasoning had changed at least partially. He'd like to think he had grown enough that the wouldn't be seen as a kid by anyone.

"Mind if I sit down for a bit?" Mr. Sellers asked, hoping to get a chance to talk to one of the school's most notable graduates during his years at the school.

"Of course not," Reid said, gesturing to one of the many empty chairs even as he recalled some of the meetings he'd had with Principal Sellers during his highschool career - some more pleasant that others. The federal agent waited for the older gentleman to be seated before setting back down himself.

"I'm not afraid to admit that I kept tabs on you after you graduated, Spencer. Guess I wanted to make sure that the right decision had been made and that you did okay out in the real world. Apparently, I had nothing to worry about."

"I had all the graduation requirements met. I couldn't see what could be gained by staying in highschool another year instead of going on to college. Mrs. Coale and Miss Simmiens agreed with me."

"It was never about the academics, Spencer. I knew that even the extra work we could provide you wouldn't pose a challenge for you. I was concerned about someone so young going on to college, though. I felt some more 'socializing' with your peers would benefit you. You've proved me wrong - three doctorates and the youngest member of the FBI and the BAU. You've certainly done well."

"Most of the kids I went to highschool with never saw me as their peer, and they never would have," Reid replied. "Once I convinced Miss Simmiens of that fact, she had no trouble convincing my guidance counselor that letting me graduate was in my best interest."

"I've got to admit that even after all the other children that I saw Miss Simmiens advocate for, part of me thought she made a mistake in your case. I was happy to be proven wrong."

"Me too," Reid replied lightly, hoping that his former principle didn't take the comment the wrong way.

"So, you're still with the BAU?"

Reid nodded. "Going on six years now and despite some of the things I've seen and have been through, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"It's good to hear that. I'm always happy to hear that my students have found something in life they are happy to be doing. You becoming a profiler really didn't surprise me either," Sellers admitted.

That admission surprised Reid, especially after all the shocked reactions he had received from people he had known when they found out he was a FBI agent. "Really? Why not?"

"Well, you always did have a fascination with human behavior. Mr. Fuller was always talking about the thought-provoking questions you posed in his psychology class and about how you devoured the psychology books he did have," Benjamin Sellers replied, watching as his former student ducked his head at the praise. "Secondly, given everything that you went through during you years at school it doesn't surprise me that you would go into a field that would allow you to help other people. That was one of the things that always impressed me about you Spencer that no matter how mean the other students got you never became resentful of it. Oh sure, you were hurt and upset, and who could blame you. I've often wondered if there had been something that the rest of the faculty and myself could've done to save you from some of the bullying that went on."

"You all did the best you could and I wasn't the only one that fell victim to the bullying. You and the other teachers couldn't be everywhere."

"And right there, you prove my point. With an attitude like that, despite having the intelligence to be able to do whatever you wanted in life, it doesn't surprise me to find you trying to do something to protect those who fall prey to others."

"I've never thought about it that way," Reid replied, a thoughtful look coming over his face.

"I'm proud of you, Spencer. I'm not sure how much hearing that from the principle who tried to hold you back means, but I am."

"Hearing those words means a lot to me, sir."

Benjamin Sellers nodded, satisfied with the reply. "So, what about your personal life? Are you here with anyone?"

* * *

><p>On the strip, Derek Morgan was taking a break from feeding the slot machines by nursing a drink at the casino bar. In the corner of the partitioned off area, a band played. They had a kind of amateur sound to them, and it was a bit too loud - something that Morgan would never have thought he would admit to - the music was still enjoyable. His foot tapped in time with the music, as he stared down in the Jack and Coke in front of him.<p>

Morgan glanced down at the cell phone on his hip, making sure that he hadn't missed any calls. The last thing he wanted was for Reid to call and he not catch the call for an hour or so afterwards. He had no clue what was going on at that high school, and if Reid managed to get himself into trouble or if someone said something to him that upset him . . . well Morgan had flown out to Vegas to provide support. What kind of support would he be sitting in a casino bar sipping a drink?

"You look a bit lonely," a silvery voice said at his side.

Morgan glanced to his left to find the stool next to him was now occupied by a skinny, raven-haired beauty with mocha skin. The streak of purple in the woman's hair reminded him briefly of Garcia although the seductive smile that she was giving him was nothing like the flirtatious one that his Baby Girl often gave to him. ~_Nor does it make my heart skip a beat like when Reid smiles at me, _~ Morgan added silently.

"Guess I am in a way," Morgan replied, thinking of the public high school that he would much rather be at right about now.

"Perhaps I can help change that," the mocha-skinned beauty replied.

"Sorry Sweetheart, but I'm kind of biding my time until I can meet up with somebody special tonight," Morgan replied.

"They can't be all that special, if you're sitting here alone in a bar."

"You might be surprised," Morgan told her, turning away from her as he picked up his glass and took a drink.

Morgan felt a hand move slowly up his arm. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her," the woman whispered leaning close to his ear.

Just then his cell phone rang. He reached quickly for it, glancing at the screen. Seeing Garcia's name on the screen, he felt a pang of disappointment even as he answered the call. "Hey Baby Girl," he said, holding the phone up to one ear and covering the other ear up with his hand.

"Just wanted to check in with my favorite Stud Muffin. How is Sin City?"

"Full of temptations," Morgan replied loudly, glancing over at the beauty who was now slipping from the bar stool. "Give me a moment why I got somewhere I can hear you better, Garcia."

"Sure thing, my Chocolate Adonis."

Morgan retrieved some money from his wallet, and placed it beside his half-drank Jack and Coke, before leaving the bar. Making his way to the casino's entrance, he leaned against one wall and put the phone up to his ear.

"Okay, Pretty Mama, I can hear your sweet dulcet tones now."

"I sure hope my Boy Genius isn't where he could hear you say those flattering words to me, as I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings."

"Reid is still at his reunion and I doubt us flirting hurts his feelings," Morgan said with a laugh.

"I'm telling you, don't be so sure about that. I will maintain that our young doctor is pinning away for you until either I die or you admit to him how you feel about him. Given your stubborn streak, I'm starting to think the former might come true first."

"You're crazy. Have I told you that before?"

"Sure have, Sugar," Garcia replied.

"How are things out east?" Morgan asked, glad to have Garcia on the phone to pass some time but hoping to steer her away from the subject of him and Reid.

_*Dialogue taking from "Extereme Aggressor"_


	9. Reminders of the Past

**_AN: So here is another chapter of this story. I appreciate you all waiting patiently for it. I seriously need to get over my story ADD and stop working on so many stories at one time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!_**

**Also: The final ballot for the 2011 Profiler's Choice Criminal Mind Awards is up at Chit Chat on Author's Corner. come check out the awesome stories that made the ballot, including mine in several categories. So,**** if you have the time show your appreciation for the author's who work hard to bring you these stories. Voting is open until November 30th!**

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><p>As Benjamin Sellers disappeared into the crowd of his former students, the former public high school principal grateful for the opportunity to see what the teenagers he had known had accomplished with their lives, Spence Reid got to his feet. The conversation with Principal Sellers had been enjoyable but now the federal agent figured it was time to leave. Ethan was getting along fine without him and there wasn't anyone else present that Reid really wanted to spend time with. Besides, leaving on a positive note seemed like a good way to end the evening.<p>

Turning to head for the door, Reid came face to face with another familiar face from his past. ~_So much for leaving without anyone noticing, _~ Reid thought as he stopped in front of the petite blonde blocking his path.

"Well, well, Spencer Reid," the blonde said, a mischievous smile coming to her face. "I heard you had gotten the courage to show your face here. Where are you off to? Going to meet someone behind the field house perhaps?"

Reid wasn't sure what to do. He knew she was baiting him and he didn't feel like playing hers or anyone else's games tonight. The night had just gotten worse as flashbacks from the incident back in high school came back to him. Deciding to be the bigger person, Reid decided to attempt a courteous response.

"Hello, Harper. You're looking good. How have you been?" Reid asked, forcing a smile. ~_A quick conversation with her and then I'll excuse myself and get out of here, _~ Reid told himself as he stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his dress pants.

"I've been fine. Larry and I have been happily married for twelve years now. We've got two little boys. You remember Larry don't you?"

~_Of course I remember Larry Nielsen, _~ Reid thought, thinking about the burly wide receiver who had held him down fifteen years ago while Rick and Ned Clarkson had stripped him. Both Larry and Ned had been with Rick at the table drinking beer, and Reid nervously cast a glance over his shoulder in that direction to make sure the football players were still there.

"Yes, I do. What is he doing these days?" Reid managed to ask, focusing his attention back on Harper Hillman, once he was satisfied that the football guys haven't moved from their table. The action hadn't been missed by Harper.

"He's actually coaching here now. Has been for the last five years. Larry enjoys it," Harper said, smiling sweetly.

"Good for him," Reid told her, trying to sound sincere.

"What about you, Spencer? What did you decide to do after high school? Hopefully it wasn't anything that put you in front of the camera. You weren't very photogenic in high school."

Reid felt a cold sense of dread wash over him at the mention of cameras. Trying not to show it, the young doctor answered her question. "I got a few degrees from Caltech and MIT and joined the FBI."

"FBI, huh?" Harper said. "Bet your co-workers would get a laugh at some pictures I have of you. At least I think I still have them in a box somewhere."

Reid knew exactly what pictures she was speaking of and knew that if those pictures ever showed up at the BAU that he would never be able to show his face there again. Wouldn't be able to face Morgan despite the fact that the dark-skinned profiler was already aware that those pictures possibly existed. Admitting to Morgan what happened and having the older agent actually see those pictures were two entirely different things.

"I wouldn't want to put you to any trouble, Harper," Reid replied, managing to keep his voice a whole lot calmer than how he actually felt.

Reid didn't miss the slight frown that showed up briefly on Harper's face. Before she could think of anything else to say, Reid decided to excuse himself.

"If you don't mind I'm getting a bit of a headache from the noise in here and I think I'm going to call it an early evening. It was good seeing you again, though," Reid told her.

Without waiting for a reply, Reid stepped around Harper Hillman Nielsen and out of the auditorium. He wanted to leave the reunion even more than before now. He was half tempted to start walking and telling Morgan to pick him up at some point along the way. ~_That would go over really well_, ~ Reid thought as he pulled his cell phone of his pocket. He could just hear the lecture Morgan would give him if he took that course of action. Right now though, he didn't really care. Any lecture Morgan could manage to dish out would be preferable than another encounter like the one he had just had with Harper.

"Spencer," a familiar voice called out, stopping Reid from flipping his cell phone open. Pausing and turning back in the direction he had just come from, he saw Alexa hurrying out of the auditorium. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. I think I've had enough of this scene," Reid replied, unable to use his lie about the headache that he had told Harper on Alexa. He might have been over his adolescent crush but the fact that she had been nice to him this evening, prevented him from telling even that small lie to her. "It was good to see you again though."

"Can we talk for a few minutes before you leave?" Alexa asked. "Ten minutes tops," she added seeing Reid's hesitate at the suggestion. "I want just a few minutes to talk to you without the others around."

Reid nodded his consent. Alexa looked around the atrium for a place away from other people in which they would talk figuring that Spencer wouldn't want to go back into the cafeteria and take the risk of attracting Ethan's attention as he had been trying to slip out without his friend being aware of it in the first place. She noticed that there was currently nobody at the steps that led up to the second floor of the school. With a nod in that direction, she headed that way. Reaching the steps, Alexa sat down on them and patted the step next to her. Feeling a bit hesitant, Reid sat down on the steps and waited for Alexa to speak as she had approached him.

"Spencer, there is something I've been hoping to get a chance to tell you something, but I was starting to think I wouldn't actually get a chance to see you in person and it didn't seem like something that should have been said over the phone or email or anything."

"Well, I'm here now," Reid said, hoping to encourage her to get this over with without being rude as he really did want to leave before something more happened.

"I just wanted to tell you in person that I'm sorry for my part in what happened our senior year. What we did wasn't only mean but morally wrong and I'm ashamed to have been a part of it. I'm ashamed to say it took my own son facing some bullies at school for me to realize it, but I do now."

Reid wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting Alexa to bring up but an outright apology like the one she had just made hadn't even been giving a passing thought. The fact that she had been civil to him tonight had been as much as he thought he was going to get.

"I know expecting you to forgive me for my part in the incident is asking a lot. I'm not sure I could in your position. I know I couldn't forgive anyone who did something like that to my Daniel, but I had to make the apology."

"I appreciate the gesture," Reid finally managed to stammer. He couldn't bring himself to quite forgive any of it though. Even now the humiliation he had suffered was to keen. Even if forgiveness couldn't be given right away perhaps there was something he could do to at least make things less awkward between them. "And you're right, I don't think I'm ready to just outright forgive what happened but what do you say we put it behind us. A part of the past that need never be brought up again?"

Alexa nodded. "I can deal with that," she told him, a small, slightly forced smile.

"Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, give me a moment," Alexa said as she took her purse off her shoulder. A few moments of digging around in it, and she came up with a small notebook and a pen which she handed to Reid.

Taking the items, Reid quickly wrote his name and cell phone number down on the piece of paper before handing it back to he. "Give my number to Daniel and let him know that if he ever needs someone to talk to, to call me," Reid told her, his thoughts going to Owen. If there had been someone for Owen to talk to about what was going on that understood what the bullying was like, would things have gotten to the point that they had? He wasn't sure but what he did know was that any kid subjected to that kind of bullying had a chance to go down that road. As a mother, Alexa was going to have a lot of fears and tough situations that she was going to have to face and if he could spare her at least that, then perhaps everything he went through as a kid would have at least served a purpose.

Alexa took the notebook back, her fingers brushing Reid's hand slightly as she did so. "Thanks, but I don't understand why you're doing this."

"I know what it's like to be in Daniel's position and I also know that having someone who understands can make a world of difference."

Reid felt his classmates scrutinizing gaze on him and hoped she didn't ask for a clearer explanation. He didn't want to go into details. Didn't want to get her worrying about things that she didn't need to.

Even if Alexa wanted to inquire further, she didn't get the chance as their conversation was interrupted.

"Oh, look Larry, pipsqueak finally gets his meeting with Alexa," Rick said loudly, his words slurred from the alcohol he had consumed. He poked his old football buddy in the ribs and both men laughed.

"Perhaps we should take him out behind the field house for old times sake," Larry joked back, reaching out for Reid's arm.

Reid got quickly to his feet and to a step sideways so that he wasn't backed up against the steps. It was definitely time for him to leave.

"You know he's supposedly an FBI agent now," Rick said, his fingers sloppily making a quote gesture with the words 'FBI agent'. "Perhaps he might actually be able to put up a fight now."

"I think what would be best is if the two of you called it a night. You've obviously had too much to drink tonight," Reid said, his voice conveying a confidence that he didn't quite feel inside. "I could call you a cab if need be," Reid said, his eyes taking in his surroundings. He found himself wishing that he had let Morgan come with him tonight.

"You're offering to call me a cab?" Rick slurred. "I don't need a cab. I'm perfectly capable of getting myself home. Badge or no badge, I sure don't need help from the likes of you. I'm sure I could still take you," he added, starting to unbutton the cuffs of his dress shirt.

"Rick, why don't you grow up," Alexa shot back at him, before grabbing Reid's arm and leading him away from the two football players. She walked with Reid to the front door, casting a couple of glances over her shoulder to make sure Rick and Larry weren't following.

"I think it's definitely time for me to call it a night," Reid said as they stepped through the first set of doors at the school's entrance.

"Sorry, it had to end like that," Alexa told him.

"It's not your fault," Reid told her.

"It was good to see you again, Spencer. Take care of yourself."

"Thanks. You too, and I was serious about letting Daniel know that he can call me."

"I appreciate it and I'll definitely let him know," Alexa told him. Standing on tip toes she placed a kiss on his cheek. "You're a good guy, Spencer Reid," she told him before turning and heading back into the school.

As Morgan listened to Garcia recount her latest Henry stories, he was never sure who talked about the little boy more - Garcia or JJ, the dark-skinned profiler glanced down at his watch. He let out a sigh when he saw that it was only eight-thirty.

"Am I boring you, Stud Muffin?" Garcia asked, sounding a bit put out.

Morgan cringed realizing that she had heard his sigh over the phone. "What? Of course not, Baby Girl!" he said quickly. "I just glanced at my watch and realized that this night is going by awfully slow."

"And you're worried about our Boy Genius," Garcia commented, finishing the thought for him.

"I guess I am," Morgan admitted, conceding that once again this conversation was going to find its way back to the topic he had tried to steer it away from earlier.

"If you would have just bit the bullet and told him how you feel about him then perhaps you would be at that reunion with him instead of agonizing over how slow the evening is going."

"More likely I'd be at home regretting how I had screwed up one of my most important friendships," Morgan countered.

This time he heard Garcia sigh over the connection. "Men can be so stubborn sometimes. I'm starting to think that the only way to make the two of you see the light is to work a little Garcia magic."

Morgan felt his heart skip a beat. Part of him knew that she would be more than willing to meddle in the lives of her friends, especially if she thought she was doing something to help them out and that terrified him. If he and Reid had a shot at being with one another, and that was a big if, then it had to come on their terms not some energetic, blonde goddess of color who was trying to help out her friends.

"Baby Girl, I'm begging you, stay out of this," he said softly into the phone.

The words were met with silence. He was starting to wonder if she had hung up on him when he heard her voice.

"Of course I will, Derek. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know you didn't," he told her with a sigh. "It's just that, well this has to happen on our terms, Baby Girl. Even if that turns out to be never - do you understand?"

"Yes, Derek, I do. I still think you're being pig-headed and stupid though."

"But you still love me, right?"

"You know I do, Sugar," Garcia said cheerfully just as Morgan heard a beep in his ear indicating another incoming call.

"Garcia, I got another call coming in so I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye, Sugar."

"Bye, Mama," Morgan replied quickly before disconnecting the call. The incoming call was from Reid, and immediately Morgan's minds flashed through things that could have gone wrong. "Hey Reid, what's up?" he asked, answering the call and trying to keep his voice calm.

"I'm ready to leave. Can you come get me?"

Morgan tried to gauge the situation from the sound of Reid's voice. His friend sounded nervous but not upset. Still, Morgan got a feeling that something wasn't quite right.

"Are you okay, Reid?" Morgan asked, the question slipping out automatically even as Derek inwardly cringed at it. He knew how defensive Reid could get when he felt someone was being over protective of him, and the last thing he wanted to do was put his friend on the defensive. Still, even as he said the words, Morgan was already headed out of the casino he was in and toward the parking garage the rental was in.

"I'm fine. I'm just ready to call it a night," Reid replied.

Morgan considered asking for more details but decided it didn't really matter right then. Reid was ready to leave. He could figure out why his friend was leaving the reunion so early after he picked him up.

"Okay. I'm on my way there. Are you going to meet me out front?"

"Yeah," Reid replied quickly.

Though Reid didn't say it, Morgan could almost hear the unspoken plea to hurry in his friend's one word answer.

"I'll be there soon, Kid," Morgan told him reassuringly, wishing once again that he was already at the reunion with his friend.

Morgan ended the call and put his cell phone back on the clip at his hip. ~_If anyone has done anything to him, so help me . . . ~_ Morgan thought as he walked quickly toward his destination.


	10. Reid's Knight

**_AN: Okay, so after bouncing this chapter around to a few people, and finally getting the edits back from my beta (who still isn't sold on it but has given up on convincing me to go another route after being out voted :)) I'm finally getting this chapter up. Thank-you peanutmeg! This has the scene that came to me and I wrote up by itself and ended up inspiring the rest of the story. Thanks to Seditionary for encouraging me to give the scene a story!_**

**There are still a few more days to vote in** **the 2011 Profiler's Choice Criminal Mind Awards. The final ballot is up at Chit Chat on Author's Corner. come check out the awesome stories that made the ballot, including mine in several categories. So,**** if you have the time show your appreciation for the author's who work hard to bring you these stories. Voting is open until November 30th!**

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><p>Reid tucked his cell phone back in his pocket, silently wishing that he had asked Morgan to stay on the line with him, since the confrontation with Rick and Larry had left him a bit more unnerved than he cared to admit. The two former football players had bullied him throughout high school when they were sober; now they were drunk and the alcohol seemed to have strengthened their already immature personalities, so Reid was anxious to leave them.<p>

As he stood leaning against the front of the building, Reid crossed his arms across his chest. To his left, a car pulled up to the curb and a woman that seemed vaguely familiar got into it. Reid smiled - at least he wasn't the only one leaving early. Once the car pulled away from the curb there were only two other people besides himself outside, and they were both smoking cigarettes as they conversed. Hopefully, no one would bother him while he waited for Morgan to show up.

But then Reid heard some loud and unfortunately all too familiar voices. Glancing back over his left shoulder, Rick, Larry and Ned were exiting the front doors of the high school. Ned and Rick already had cigarettes in their hands, and Reid let out a small sigh of relief; they had come outside for other reasons than bothering him. Hoping to stay unnoticed by the three former football players, Reid slowly started moving toward the corner of the building. It would be a little harder to keep an eye out for Morgan from that vantage point, but hopefully the awkward position would mean he would be left alone.

Slipping around the corner of the building, Reid leaned back against the wall, his palms flat against the rough brick. He listened carefully but didn't hear any voices or footsteps coming in his direction. It appeared as if he had slipped away unnoticed, for which Reid was grateful. Letting his head rest against the wall behind him, Reid closed his eyes since it would be awhile before Morgan would arrived. After all, Reid had just gotten off the phone with him and morgan would have to leave wherever he had been and then drive to the school, but he also didn't know where Morgan had been when he had called. Reid had specifically not asked where Morgan had been since he was worried that he'd interrupted something, and he hadn't wanted to risk hearing that worry confirmed.

With any luck, Rick and his buddies were just outside to smoke a cigarette and then they would head back inside. Reid figured he could stay out of sight for ten or fifteen minutes and then check to see if the former football players had left. ~_All I've got to do is avoid them until Morgan gets here_,~ Reid told himself, softly tapping his fingers on the wall as he mentally tried to keep track of the passing time.

Rough hands grabbing him caused Reid to quickly open his eyes.

"So this is where the pipsqueak decided to hide," Rick said as he wrapped his arms around Reid, trying to pin the younger man against him.

Reacting instinctively, Reid made use of the self-defense training he had been taught in the academy. He jammed his elbow into his attacker's stomach as hard as he could and took a step backward to loosen the older man's hold on him, Reid then managed to duck out of Rick's grasp, only to be seized by the other two football players. Larry and Ned grabbed hold of Reid's arms and held on tightly.

"Let me go," Reid said, even as he struggled against the two men holding him.

"Well look, the runt has some fight in him," Rick said his words slurring together as he absently rubbing the spot where Reid's elbow had made contact with him.

Ned and Larry adjusted their grip on Reid, so that they were facing the same direction as Reid.

"Leaving so soon, Spencer," Rick said. "The night is still young."

"Well if that's the way you feel then feel free to go back inside and enjoy yourselves and leave me be," Reid said, as he tried to free his arms. He contemplated yelling for help, but felt silly doing it. An FBI agent yelling for help. He would definitely be the laughingstock of the reunion then.

"I thought we'd just take a tour of the school grounds. Old times sakes, you know," Rick said, laughing at his own words. "The football field has some good memories don't you think?"

"Not particularly, no," Reid replied. He had no desire to revisit the football field with or without the guys who had humiliated him there.

"Ah, come on. It'll be fun. Let's go relive some memories. What do you say guys?" Rick added, looking at his two friends.

"Right behind you, Rick," Ned slurred.

As Rick started walking toward the football field, Reid felt himself being prodded along. Realizing that no one would be around to hear him call for help at the football field, Reid knew he was running out of time to escape the situation._~Damn the humiliation_,~ he thought getting ready to call out for help. Before he could get any sound out though, Ned's hand clamped down over his mouth and muffled the sound.

"You're not going to ruin our tour now are you, Spencer?" Ned asked, as he and Larry prodded Reid along in the direction that Rick had already started walking.

They were about halfway to the football field when Reid gave up struggling against the two guys holding him. It wasn't accomplishing anything other than slowing them down and he wasn't sure what good that would do him. While Morgan was on his way to the high school, the chances that he would come looking for him in this direction were slim. When Morgan arrived and he wasn't out front, the older man would probably go into the building to look for him. Then Morgan would call his cell phone and then - honestly, Reid wasn't sure what the older man would do when he didn't get an answer to his call.

Away from the main building, Rid's only light came from the moon. Even so, Reid could make out the shapes of the field house and the goal posts as the approached the football field. Ned removed his hand from Reid's mouth, but Reid stayed quiet. He wasn't sure what he could say to talk himself out of the situation at this point, and yelling for help wouldn't do any good since only his captors would hear him. Reid knew how well his pleas for help would fall on their ears. Still, he had to do something.

"You know, this hasn't really gone too far yet. Just let me go and we'll forget this ever happened," Reid said, looking between Larry and Ned who still had a hold of his arms.

"What's wrong, Spencer? Don't you want to do a little reminiscing with some old high school pals?" Rick asked.

"My only _pal_ from high school is still inside."

"Oh, I'm hurt by that remark, Spencer," Rick said jokingly.

"Hey, Rick maybe this has gone far enough," Larry said, sounding a bit nervous as they stopped outside of gate surrounding the football field. "He is a fed, after all."

Rick laughed. "Like Spencer here is going to talk. The runt is too worried 'bout what his pals at work would think of him."

Reid felt the glimmer of hope he had felt at Larry's words fade away at Rick's assessment. The guy was right. He didn't want Morgan, Prentiss, or any of the others finding out about this. Though his team members would be to nice to give him a hard time about this all to his face, he knew he would lose face with them. Not to mention they would be angry that this had happened and get over protective of him. As for outside of his team, well, sometimes his work place wasn't any nicer than high school.

Rick led the small group toward the field house. "You remember this place don't you, Spencer. Of course you do. That photographic memory of yours."

"Eidetic," Reid replied, correcting the mistake automatically.

"Like there is really a difference."

"Actually there is ..."

Reid let his words trail off as Rick shot him a glare. Apparently the former high school jock wasn't interested in a 'vocabulary lesson' - Morgan's term for when he started explaining differences between words. Reid craned his neck to look back toward the high school, wondering if Morgan had arrived yet.

"Looking for the cavalry, Spencer?" Rick asked mockingly.

"Rick, please just leave me be. What did I ever do to you?" Reid pleaded, looking back toward his former classmate.

Rick laughed. "What did you ever do to me?" Rick asked his anger sobering him up a bit. "You really need an answer to that? The perfect Spencer Reid. Perfect scores on tests. All the teachers' favorite student. Youngest agent ever in the FBI. That's why you came back tonight isn't it? To show everyone that once again Spencer Reid outshines all of his classmates."

"No. That isn't why I came back," Reid protested, starting to get an idea of how Rick really felt about him.

"Came back to relive some high school memories then," Rick said, reaching up and starting to remove his tie. Reid didn't like where this was heading. "I can think of a way to oblige you."

"Rick, what are you doing?" Larry asked, apparently not liking where his friend was now taking the situation.

"Going to help Spencer relive a few memories - such as being tied to a goal post."

"No, just no - that's going too far," Larry said, dropping the arm that he was holding.

Reid tried to take advantage of the situation and twist his other arm out of Ned's grip. It didn't work, as Ned quickly seized Reid's free arm and held him in a tight grip so he couldn't break free. Reid could smell the alcohol on the breath of the former football player that held him.

"It'll be just like old times," Rick told Larry.

"No way. I'm out," Larry said, holding up his hands before turning and walking away.

Reid thought about calling out to the retreating former jock to help him, but figured it would be just like high school when his pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

Not deterred by his friend's retreat, Rick motioned to Ned. "Bring him over this way."

As Ned tried to maneuver Reid toward the closest goal post, Reid resumed his struggles to break free from the former football player. It was futile though, and eventually Reid found himself with his back pressed up against the metal pole. Rick tied one end of the tie around Reid's wrist, and then while Ned held him against the pole, the former quarter back stepped behind Reid and took a hold of his other wrist. Reid struggled even as he felt Rick wrap the other end of the neck tie around his wrist and pull it tight. The silk material felt cool against his skin.

_~I never should have let Morgan talk me into coming here,_~ Reid thought as he closed his eyes as Ned finally let go of him.

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><p>Having somehow managed to escape the attention of the local police despite the speeds at which he was traveling, Morgan pulled into the parking lot of the Las Vegas public high school. Shortly later he was pulling to a stop in front of the school, his eyes scanning the front of the building for any sign of his friend. Not seeing Reid, Morgan got out of car, pulling out his cell phone as he did so. He didn't like the fact that the kid wasn't out front like he had said he would be. Upon getting Reid's voicemail as he stepped up onto the sidewalk Morgan released a curse.<p>

~_Where are you, Kid?_~ Morgan asked himself, trying to decide if he should head inside and look for Reid or just wait.

Deciding to start questioning the people outside of the school, Morgan walked toward the closest two people who appeared to be getting in a few extra minutes of conversation before leaving. A few questions later, Morgan was disappointed that they hadn't seen Reid, and after a few questions with various others, neither had anyone else. Frustrated due to the lack of information, the dark-skinned agent was about to continue his search inside when he noticed a man walking around the corner of the building.

"Hey, can I ask you a few questions," Morgan called out to the man and he started walking toward him.

The man visibly jumped at the sound of Morgan's voice, making the federal agent question what the man had been up to.

Trying to look in control, the man met Morgan's gaze. "Um, sure, I guess," he said, trying to sound casual.

"I'm looking for a co-worker of mine who came here tonight, Spencer Reid. He called me for a ride a little while ago and said he would meet me out front but he isn't here."

"Have you checked inside?"

"Not yet," Morgan replied, scrutinizing the man in front of him. "Do you know Dr. Reid?"

"He was an acquaintance," the man said. "Co-worker of yours you said?"

"Yeah."

"So that would make you FBI?" he asked, sounding more nervous.

"Yeah," Morgan said, his senses going on alert. He restrained himself from grabbing hold of the guy even as every fiber in his body told him that this guy knew where Reid was. "Where is he?"

"Look man, we didn't mean him any harm. It was just supposed to be a joke - take Spence down to the football field for old times sake. Rick's jealous that Spencer seems to have everything going for him and a sport injury ruined his dreams. We saw Spencer go around the side of the building and saw a chance. I swear, all we were gonna do was take him down to the field - that was as far as it was suppose to go! When Rick decided to take things further, well that's when I left."

"Taking things further? And instead of helping Reid, you just left him down at the field!"

"I tried to talk them out of it but they wouldn't listen."

"They? How many others are involved?"

"Just Rick and Ned. I'm sorry. I didn't think things would go this far. . ."

"Take me to the football field," Morgan demanded cutting the man off. When the man hesitated Morgan continued. "Unless you would like me to charge you with whatever I can come up with and believe me, I'd make the charges stick."

"Okay, okay," Larry told him. "This way," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the corner he had just come around.

Morgan reached down and drew his back-up piece from its ankle holster before following the guy. Larry looked over his shoulder briefly to see the agent pull out the gun. He swallowed hard and walked quickly toward the football field, all the while mentally telling himself that what they had done had been a really stupid idea, and if he got out this, he'd never drink again.

It wasn't long before they reached the gate surrounding the football field, which was still open. "You stay here," Morgan told the man, as he ducked through the gate. He saw three shadows near the one goal post and headed stealthily in that direction, only sparing Larry, who's name he had gotten while walking down here, one more glance to make sure he wasn't following. He wasn't worried about the guy running off since her was both drunk and scared. His concern right now centered on Reid , and the two guys with him.

Morgan walked silently up on the two guys who didn't even look his way. He could make out the words of the one man, who was currently taunting Reid to beg him to untie him. Morgan didn't need anyone to tell him that these were the guys who had stripped and tied Reid to the goal post back in high school. Unfortunately, that information was only heightening Morgan's anger, and it was a struggle to remind himself that attacking the men with his bare hands - or shooting them- would be a bad idea. Instead, Morgan tried to maintain some level of professionalism, as he leveled his gun at them.

"FBI! Nobody move."

Morgan's shout got Rick, Ned, and Reid's attention. As the first two looked in the direction of the shout, Reid closed his eyes. Morgan noticed how still his friend became and thought he understood the reaction; this wasn't exactly the predicament that he would want a fellow agent to find him in. The fact that Reid was probably feeling humiliated right now only fed Morgan's anger.

Taking note of the gun being leveled at them, Rick and Ned both put their hands up in the air.

"Hey, man. Take it easy. We were just messing with an old high school friend," Rick said.

"This doesn't look like how someone would treat a friend," Morgan countered.

"Where's your sense of humor man," Rick said. Morgan continued to glare at him. "Look, I'll just untie him now, okay?" Rick continued, starting to take a step toward Reid.

"Don't move, and don't even think about touching him," Morgan ordered, freezing Rick in mid-step. "I don't care how much alcohol you've had tonight. At best, you're looking at a charge of assaulting a federal agent although given the fact that you've restrained him I'm pretty sure I could get it bumped up to kidnaping."

"Kidnapping!" Ned said, sounding alarmed. "Look man, it was just a bad joke. We meant no harm."

"Morgan, just let them go," Reid said with a sigh. "They're not worth it."

"See!" Rick said, grasping at the chance of getting out of the current situation without getting arrested. "Listen to your friend. I'll just -"

"I'm pretty sure I told you _not to move_," Morgan stated as Rick started to take a step toward Reid.

"Morgan, please!" Reid begged softly, just wanting this nightmare to end.

Not liking the idea, but not wanting to make things any harder on Reid, Morgan lowered his gun. "Get out of here," he told the two former football players, gesturing in the direction of the gate with his head. "I don't want to see your faces again. You understand me?"

"Got it," both men said as they quickly edged around Morgan before breaking into a run as they fled area.

As he lost sight of the two fleeing men, Morgan returned his gun to his holster before walking toward Reid.

"Are you alright?" Morgan asked, as he came up behind Reid so that he could untie the younger man's hand.

"I'm fine," Reid managed to get out.

Reid's voice sounded a bit shaky to Morgan. The kid didn't seem physically hurt and Morgan figured he was mostly just feeling humiliated. "Kid why am I always bailing you out of trouble?" Morgan asked lightly, as he stopped behind the goal post and reached for the knots securing Reid's right wrist. The words were an attempt to ease the tension of the situation but Reid's reaction told Morgan they had failed miserably.

"This is your fault! You're the one that convinced me to come when I didn't want to! I knew this was going to happen!"

"You knew you were going to get tied to a goalpost?" Morgan asked, as his fingers fumbled with the tight knots in the tie that was looped around Reid's wrist. He cringed as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Bringing that fact up was not going to make this situation any easier on Reid.

"Well, not this exactly but I knew something was going to happen. This is just like high school all over again."

"Not quite. You had a knight in shining armor come rescue you this time," Morgan said, while wondering why he had chosen those words. Reid was far from some fairy tale princess, and even if Morgan had 'rescued' Reid , he wasn't exactly the traditional knight, either. _~The hero definitely isn't going to get a thank-you kiss in this scenario,_~ Morgan thought, though deep down he realized that he did wish he would receive one.

Reid glanced over his shoulder. "Some knight, you can't even get me untied," Reid said shifting as much as his bonds would allow.

"You squirming isn't helping," Morgan told him.

"I'm not squirming," Reid said, shifting more as he tried to get Morgan into view and in the process moving his hands and the knot the older man was trying to untie.

"Yes, you are," Morgan replied, looking up and catching Reid's gaze as the agent looked over his shoulder. He felt his heart skip a beat. Once again he thought about telling Reid how he felt about him. To bare his soul and take a chance. But just like every time before, the words wouldn't come.

"This is your fault, you know! You forced me into coming!"

Morgan felt a twinge of anger at the accusation which he quickly squashed. Reid was upset and he was at least partially responsible for Reid being here. Still, Morgan felt the need to defend himself."I didn't twist your arm to come here, Kid. I just did a little coaxing."

"A little!"

"Okay. Quite a bit, but you still came of your own free will."

"Yeah, right. Nothing seems to be of my own free will when it comes to you. I always want to do whatever I can to make ..." Reid let his words trail off without finishing the sentiment. "You seemed so determined that I needed to come back here and face the past, and I figured I could do that for you. Morgan are you even trying to unite me?" Reid asked, his voice rising in tone slightly as he started to feel a bit of panic, wondering if he had said something to upset his friend.

"What? Yeah," Morgan said, realizing that his fingers had stopped working on the knot as he had listened to Reid talk. Resuming his attempt to untie the knot.

"This is the worst night of my life," Reid said so softly that Morgan just barely caught the words.

"I think you're being a bit dramatic, Kid. This can't be the worst night of your life."

"Yes, it is! The reunion only made me realize just how little I have in common with any of the people I went to school with. A lot of people took no notice of me and those who did couldn't believe I was actually an FBI agent. Yes, there were a few old classmates that seemed to be genuinely happy for me, but Rick and his buddies took every opportunity they had to get jokes in and someone who I thought of as a friend had no problem helping them," Reid said, thinking about some of the things that Parker's comments. "Ethan bailed on me shortly after we finished dinner and I would have called you earlier but that would have meant ruining your night."

"You should have called, Kid."

"You're right I should have because having you mad at me for ruining your night would have been preferable to the embarrassment of you finding me in this predicament. I can just hear you joking about this with Prentiss or Garcia when we get home."

"I won't breathe a word of this to anyone."

"Yeah right."

Garcia's repeated insistence that he tell Reid how he felt echoed in Morgan's mind. Suddenly, it seemed like admitting to Reid how he felt about him was the only way to convince the younger man of the sincerity of his words. Letting go of the knot, Morgan placed one hand on the goal post, and reaching out to place the other hand under Reid's chin, Morgan leaned in close to place a chaste kiss on the other man's lips. He took a moment to savor the softness and the taste of Reid's lips, before finally pulling back.

"I won't tell anyone about what happened here tonight because I love you, Kid. I have for awhile, but I wasn't sure how to tell you. I didn't want to take the chance of ruining our friendship . But now - well you know now. I love you, Spencer Reid and I would do anything for you," Morgan said softly, his mouth close to Reid's ear as he said the words.

The silence that followed was so complete that Morgan could hear the hard swallow that Reid made. But the was the extent of Reid's response - he said nothing and made no further movement. Pushing aside the thought that he had irrevocably ruined his friendship with Reid, Morgan returned to the menial task of undoing the knot in the tie looped around Reid's wrist.


	11. Admitting Feelings

AN: Okay, so after rewriting the first page of this chapter and then struggling with the rest of it, I finally have something I think is worthy of posting. Hope you all enjoy it!

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><p>~<em>I'm not hearing this<em>, ~ Reid told himself as he kept his eyes squeezed shut. He was aware of Morgan still behind him working on the knot. ~_Tonight is just a really bad dream. I'll open my eyes and wake up in the hotel room before the reunion_, ~ he thought, not convincing himself at all.

His heart was pounding in his chest, and Reid tried to take some measured breaths trying to slow it down. He was sure it was betraying his true emotions right now, just as giving in to the desire to return Morgan's kiss would have. He had wanted to return the older man's kiss and pursue him when Morgan had moved away and then reality had hit him again. There was no way that Morgan could have those types of feelings for him. He had seen Morgan interact with women on numerous occasions. There was no way those women would be falling all over the dark-skinned agent if Morgan was faking it.

Although that kiss he had just given him had seemed pretty passionate to Reid.

~_He was joking around, _~ Reid told himself. ~_Trying to ease the tension of the situation_, ~ he reasoned, trying to find some kind of explanation that he could wrap his head around. The only problem was that the idea of Morgan teasing him like that was more humiliating that being tied to the goal post by his former high school classmates in the first place. He was having a hard time understand how Morgan could joke about a situation like this.

As soon as he felt the silky material fall away from his right wrist, Reid stepped away from the goal post. He thought only momentarily about turning to face Morgan before he started walking in the direction of the gate. All he wanted was to get away from the football field and attempt to put everything behind him.

"Reid, hold up," Morgan called. "Let me get the other knot undone."

Reid glanced briefly down at his left wrist which still had the other end of the neck tie looped around it. "I can get it myself," Reid called back, not breaking his stride.

Morgan hurried after the young genius. Getting close enough he reached out and grabbed the younger man's arm. "Kid, what's the hurry. The worse is over."

~_No, it's not, _~ Reid's mind scream. _~The worse is going to be facing Morgan at work every day after all of this_.~

Reid pulled his arm from Morgan's grasp and whirled to face the older man. "The worse is over? That's easy for you to say! You weren't the one who was tied to a goal post by bullies from their past! Nor were you found in that predicament by a co-worker - a co-worker who then tries to make the situation better by making a joke out of it! How could you mess with . . . how could you do that Morgan?"

"Kid, I'm sorry," Morgan told him, his voice quiet, calm and sincere. "I guess my timing leaves a lot to be desired but I wasn't trying to make a joke out of the situation. I wouldn't do that to you, Kid."

The short laugh that came out sounded harsh even to Reid's ears. "You expect me to believe that you really love me. Derek Morgan, the man that women practically throw themselves at. You forget Morgan, I've seen you making your moves plenty of times."

"So? That doesn't change how I feel about you, Kid."

"And you would be willing to go back to D.C. and tell our team mates that."

"If you wanted me to, yes," Morgan replied without a moment of hesitation.

Morgan's answer made Reid pause. Every instinct he had as a profiler told him that Morgan was telling the truth and yet he couldn't quite believe those feelings - or maybe he was afraid to.

"You're just saying that to try and calm me down."

Morgan sighed. "Kid, I'm sorry. I never should have -"

"At least we agree on something," Reid said, not giving Morgan a chance to finish what he had started to say.

Turning, Reid continued his walk toward the gate. He just wanted away from here - the football field, the school - all of it. Coming here was a bad idea.

"Kid, wait up. I've got the car keys unless you plan on walking all the way back to the hotel room," Morgan called out to him as the older man got over his surprise at Reid's interruption of his apology and hurried after Reid.

Reid didn't break his stride. The way he was feeling right now, walking back didn't seem like such a bad idea except that he knew Morgan would never allow him to do it. The older profiler would shadow him all the way back to the hotel if he even made the attempt. Still, he needed some space to deal with his swirling thoughts and emotions right now and staying a few steps ahead of Morgan was better than nothing.

To Reid's relief, Morgan remained silent although he was aware of the older man's presence not far behind him. The two silently made their way back to the high school, Morgan finally speaking as they walked along the side of the building.

"The car is parked along the curb," Morgan said.

Reid didn't reply or slow his steps. The quicker he reached the car, the quicker he could get away from here and start putting this night behind him. As soon as he rounded the corner of the building, Reid saw their rental. He heard the beep and saw the headlights flash as Morgan unlocked the doors with the keyless entry. Reaching the car, the genius yanked open the passenger side door and slid into the car. By the time Morgan had slid in behind the wheel, Reid had buckled his seatbelt, crossed his arms and was huddled against the passenger side as much as he could manage.

"Reid-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Reid said, cutting off whatever his friend was going to say. To his relief, Morgan didn't try to continue.

Reid heard Morgan sigh as he inserted the key into the ignition and started the car. The drive back to the hotel was silent - not even the radio played. They weren't far from the school when Reid realized the other end of the neck tie was still tied around his wrist. Silently, he started working on the knot, glad for the distraction. When the silky material finally came loose, he let it fall to the floor of the car.

As soon as the car came to a stop in the parking garage, Reid bolted from the vehicle. He just wanted to escape to the safety of his hotel room. As Reid stabbed the button to the elevator, he wrestled with the conflicting feelings over the fact that Morgan hadn't tried to stop him again. Part of him was relieved while another part of him wished the older man had made another attempt.

By the time the elevator arrived, Reid was still standing by himself. Stepping through the doors, he pushed the correct floor button without checking to see where Morgan was at. As much as he wanted to be alone, Reid knew that he would be disappointed if the older agent wasn't even in sight. He was better off not knowing.

Other hotel guests got on and off the elevator as Reid traveled to the hotel lobby. Reaching the lobby he head straight for the closest elevator leading up to the rooms. When he finally stepped inside his room, the lamp he had left on casting a soft glow over it, Reid closed the door and leaned back against it, relieved that he could finally consider this whole ordeal over and done with. Feeling weak at the knees, Reid let himself slide down the door and come to rest on the floor, wrapping his arms tight across himself again.

"I never should have come back here," Reid said quietly, leaning his head back against the door and looking up at the ceiling.

His years in high school had never been ones that he wanted to relive. The moment Reid had graduated, he had tried to put his old school and the torments that he had endured there behind him. Though he knew that hadn't been completely successful, he had been able to move on. His college classmates hadn't known what had happened back in Las Vegas. He had been able to face each day without any reminders of highschool. The same went for the academy. Sure, there had been others who had teased him, sent hurtful remarks his way or whispered when they thought he couldn't hear him but it had been nothing like high school. In the BAU he had finally started forming relationships that he felt comfortable with opening up a bit about his past, partly because his teammates had been able to figure out on their own that his child hood hadn't been ideal even without him saying anything. Only Morgan had gotten any elaborate details from him. Now Reid was wishing that he hadn't even told Morgan what he had. Wished that Morgan had never found out about the reunion.

Reid kept hearing the attempted apologies Morgan had tried at the football field. The older man's words had sounded sincere and he had just blown him off unable to accept that Morgan could possibly feel anything beyond friendship for him.

~_If I did have a chance, I've probably blown it now_, ~ Reid thought, ashamed with how he had treated Morgan after the older agent had untied him. After all, if Morgan hadn't shown up, he would probably still be tied to the goalpost as Rick probably would have left him there again - just like he had in high school.

Part of him wanted to get up and go to Morgan's room and beg for his friend's forgiveness. Even if Morgan had been joking around out on that field, and Reid still thought that was possible, he knew he didn't want to lose the older man's friendship. It wasn't as if he had a whole lot of friends to begin with. However, the desire to not leave the hotel room, where at least he felt safe, was winning the battle right now.

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><p>Having showered and changed, Morgan flopped down on the still made bed and stared up at the ceiling. He kept seeing Reid bolting from the field or bolting from the car in the parking garage. Even now, Morgan wondered if letting him go like that had been the right thing to do. The younger man was upset about what had happened, and understandably so, but Morgan still hadn't liked the idea of Reid being alone. Still, Reid had already thrown several attempts at an apology back at him tonight. Until the kid had a chance to calm down some, Morgan didn't think he would have any chance of reaching him.<p>

~_That was just stupid kissing him like that_, ~ Morgan scolded himself, pounding his fist on the bed beside him. If he had stopped and thought about it, reason would have won out but no he had to do what he usually did and just go with his instincts. As he had told Garcia plenty of times before, Reid had been freaked out by his admission. ~_Although, granted kissing him on top of everything else he had to deal with tonight probably would have freaked anyone out_.~

The more Morgan thought about the accusation that Reid had thrown at him out on that football field, he realized that the genius was right - what happened tonight was his fault. ~_If I had just minded my own business he wouldn't have even been here this weekend but no I had to insist that he come to his reunion. That he faced his past. And a lot of good I did by coming out here. I think me only managed to make a bad situation worse.~_

After about a half hour of going through the same thoughts over and over again, Morgan got up off the bed. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep with the current state of his thoughts. Thinking that perhaps a walk would help clear his mind, Morgan slipped on his shoes, grabbed his key car and crossed to the door. Pulling it open, he jumped upon finding Reid standing on the other side, hand poised to knock. The younger man had also changed into sweat pants and a long sleeved cotton shirt, while the still wet wavy locks told Morgan that Reid had also taken a shower since returning to the hotel.

"Reid, I wasn't expecting you to be there," Morgan said, with a little laugh trying to cover his surprise at finding his friend right outside his hotel door.

"Morgan, I'm sorry for not even given you a chance to explain anything," Reid said quickly, as if he hadn't even heard Morgan's previous comment.

"It's okay, Kid. It's been a rough night for you, so I get."

Reid looked back at him, a look of disbelief on his face. Morgan had a feeling that he hadn't given the answer the younger man had been expected. Reid's next words verified that feeling.

"I don't get you. After how ungrateful I was after you came to my rescue and you just brush it off like it isn't a big deal. Like what I said doesn't even matter to you."

"It's not like that, Kid," Morgan said, shaking his head. "What happened out on that football field does matter, but I can forgive your actions because I love you," he said, choosing to repeat those words despite the previous reaction he had gotten, or lack of, when he had spoken them.

"You really mean that?" Reid asked, his gaze not wavering as he watched Morgan.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't," Morgan told him, trying to read his friend's reaction to those words. He had no proof that Reid swung that way - only his own gut feeling that the younger man felt something for him and Garcia's insistence that Reid liked him too. _~Both of us can't be wrong, right? ~_ Morgan though as he kept trying to gauge Reid's reaction. Finally unable to stand the silence anymore, the dark-skinned profiler spoke again. "So I guess the real question is how do you feel? I mean I took a chance out on that field tonight, I know that, and if . . . well if you don't feel that way about me I guess that could have been really awkward for you and . . . "

Morgan wasn't able to finish his sentence as before he knew it Reid had closed what little distance had been between them. As Morgan had out on the football field, Reid pressed his lips against the older man's. Morgan closed his eyes, relishing for the second time that night the softness of Reid's lips against his own. This kiss was the only answer that Morgan needed. The one answer that he had been hoping that he would receive.

Without opening his eyes, Morgan reached out a hand blindly finding the soft skin of Reid's neck. Trailing his fingertips along the warm skin, Morgan soon had his fingers entwined in the still wet locks of hair as he deepened the kiss. Right then the only person Morgan was aware of was the man whose hands were currently resting on his shoulders as Reid pressed his body against his. At least until a young voice reminded him of just where they were at that moment.

"Daddy, what are those two men doing?"

Both Morgan and Reid broke away at the same time. As Reid rested his head on Morgan's shoulder in embarrassment though, Morgan glanced past Reid in the direction the voice had come from. He saw a man about Reid's age, hurrying a little girl away. Though Morgan couldn't hear the father's voice as he said something to the girl, the profiler couldn't help but wonder how he planned on explaining the situation to the child.

"This is so not my night," Reid whispered softly, still not looking up.

Morgan wanted to laugh at the situation. He had no qualms about anyone, let alone someone they would probably never see again, seeing him kissing Reid. He held the laughter back though, hearing the mortification in the younger man's voice. Morgan made the quick decision to chalk Reid's embarrassment up to the emotional roller coaster he had been on tonight and the general discomfort with public displays of affections and not the fact that he had been caught kissing him.

"Let's go inside," Morgan told him softly, finally untangling his fingers from Reid's hair and letting that arm drape across the younger man's shoulders. Morgan met no resistence as he led Reid into the hotel room, making sure the door shut behind him by giving it a slight push with his foot.

Continuing to guide Reid, Morgan made his way over to the closest bed. It wasn't long before they were resuming the activity that had been interrupted out in the hall, their tongues soon exploring one another's mouth until Reid broke away.

"Morgan, maybe this is a bad idea," Reid said tentatively.

"A bad idea?" Morgan asked, pushing himself up slightly to get a better look at Reid's face as he lay on top of the younger man. "Kid, don't try to tell me you're not into this because as close as we are right now, a certain part of you anatomy is giving you away," he said, smiling as he saw the color rise in Reid's already flushed cheeks. Apparently making the younger man blush was going to be an easy feat, which Morgan kind of found appealing.

"No, it's not that it's just . . . wells I know what you're expecting and I don't think I'm quite ready for that."

"Oh, really? Just what is it you think I'm expecting."

"Well, all those women you've gone home from a bar with, even I'm not so naive as to not know what happens after you leave the bar with them."

"That's completely different, Kid. We both leave the bar knowing that nothing goes beyond that night. We're both looking for release and that's it. How I feel about you is so much more than that, and I hope you feel the same way."

"I do!" Reid replied quickly.

"Then I'm fine with first base for tonight, Pretty Boy," Morgan told him in a sultry voice as he leaned down again, his lips finding Reid's once more.


	12. Understanding

**AN: So this chapter wraps up the events of the reunion. I'm thinking one more chapter after this to wrap up some other things. I just want to say thanks to all who have read and especially to those who took the time to alert, fav or review this story. I appreciate it all!**

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><p>Spencer Reid laid in the soft hotel bed in Morgan's room alone, his head resting on a pillow on which the smell of Morgan's aftershave still faintly lingered. The lamp between the beds illuminated the room in a soft glow and the sounds from the direction of the bathroom revealed where the other room's occupant was. Reid shivered slightly. Now that Morgan wasn't pressed up against him, Reid was realizing how cool the room was. He idly wondered how high Morgan had set the air-conditioning unit as he got up and pulled back the blankets on the bed. Perhaps he was being presumptuous in thinking that Morgan wanted him to stay, but Reid had no desire to return to his own room right then - no matter how much warmer it was.<p>

Reid was settling in under the blankets when Morgan came out of the bathroom. Leaving the light on in the room, Morgan pulled the door most of the way shut. As he headed for the bed, a shaft of light came from the cracked door.

"Is that going to be enough light for you?" Morgan asked, waving a hand in the general direction of the bathroom.

Reid smiled, touched that Morgan even remembered that he didn't like the dark.

"It'll be fine," Reid replied.

"Are you cold?" Morgan asked as he made his way between the room's two beds and sat down.

"It's a little cooler in here than I'm use to," Reid admitted quietly.

"I can turn down the air," Morgan said, moving to stand back up.

Reid quickly reached out for Morgan's arm, catching the older man's wrist. "It'll be fine. It's your room. Keep it at the temperature that you're comfortable with."

Reid felt Morgan's searching gaze on him as the older man looked over his shoulder at him. Finally, as if deciding that the issue wasn't worth an argument, Morgan reached out with the hand Reid didn't have a hold of and turned out the lamp. Letting go of Morgan's wrist, Reid tucked his arm back under the blanket. The next thing the genius knew, Morgan was laying beside him and gathering him into his arms. Involuntarily Reid felt himself tense up. Being held close by someone was a strange feeling to him at this point in his life.

"I'm sorry," Morgan told him, reluctantly beginning to relinquish his hold on the younger man.

"No, don't," Reid told him pleadingly. As uneasy as the gesture had made him feel he still had a desire to have Morgan close to him. To be able to feel the warmth from the older man's body.

"I don't want to make you feel uneasy," Morgan told him softly, pausing in his movements. Reid could hear the hesitancy in the older man's voice.

"I'm just not used to it," Reid told him, wanting to reach out and pull Morgan's arm back down around him but hesitant to do so. Frightened really. This was all so knew to him. Yes, he might have had relationships with other people, other men, before this but they were nothing like this. The emotions involved hadn't run so deep. When they had left, he knew going on wasn't going to be hard, but if Morgan left . . .

Reid didn't even try to put that possibility into coherent thoughts. He knew it would be opening himself up to the same hurt that had followed his Dad and Gideon walking out on him. Could he really survive going through that again? Perhaps he should cut his loses now before he got in too deep. Then he thought about how Morgan's lips had felt on his skin . . .

"You can't get use to something unless you experience it," Reid said instead.

Reid's felt Morgan's arms encircle him again, pulling him back against the older man's strong body. Reid felt a gasp escape his lips as memories of being tied to the goal post came back to him. He quickly reminded himself that not only wasn't he back in high school but he wasn't on the football field either. He was in a hotel room with Morgan, a man that he trusted with his life on a regular basis, and he had nothing to be afraid of. Banishing the demons Reid tried to make himself relax.

"You're safe with me you know, Pretty Boy," Morgan said softly, his mouth close to Reid's ear as he maneuvered the younger man closer to him so that Reid's head was nestled on his shoulder.

"I know," Reid replied, willing himself to relax into Morgan's embrace. At least the chill had left him now with the warmth of Morgan's body heat added to that of the blanket.

There was so much more Reid wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words. Found it hard to banish the actions of the football team both from high school and from tonight. Couldn't forget how humiliated he had felt tonight when he had heard Morgan's voice in the dark even as relief had flooded through him. He hadn't wanted to feel so helpless in front of the person he loved. The one person whose opinion of him mattered the most to him.

~_How can he really love me? _~ Reid asked himself, thinking that Morgan deserved so much more than what he could offer him.

"You know it's not too late, Reid," Morgan said, breaking the silence.

"Too late for what?"

"To press charges. Kid, even if you weren't a federal officer, what they did to you tonight was battery. They shouldn't . . ."

"Morgan, no. Please, it's not worth it."

"Kid, I hate what they did to you. You shouldn't have been subjected to that and I realize that it's my fault . . . "

"It's not your fault. You had nothing to do with their actions."

"I shouldn't have encouraged you to go. I'm sorry."

"This wasn't your fault. I never should have made that accusation," Reid said quickly.

"You were right though," Morgan said. In the dim light he could see Reid start to open his mouth to protest. Reaching out he pressed one finger gently against Reid's lips in a silence gesture. "Seriously Kid, can you honestly tell me you would have gone tonight if I hadn't pressed the issue?" Morgan asked, removing his finger.

"Well, no."

"I promise not to interfere again," Morgan told him, resting his chin against the top of Reid's head.

"Then you'll let what happened tonight go?" Reid asked, still afraid that Morgan might insist on trying to get him to press charges. He knew how protective the older man could get over the people he cared about.

"You won't hear another word about it from me, Pretty Boy," Morgan told him.

"Good. I don't want to ruin anyone's life. It's not worth it, especially when other people could get hurt other than Rick and his friends," Reid said, thinking of Rick's wife and any possible kids the two of them might have. It wasn't right for them to suffer for this. Closing his eyes, Reid tried to relax once again. Both men were silent for a bit before Reid spoke again. "Tonight wasn't all bad you know," he ventured. His thoughts drifted to Alexa. He might not have the same feelings for her as he once did, but knowing that she regretted her part in the incident in high school made him feel better. "I talked to Alexa Lizben tonight. She apologized to me."

"At least someone involved learned something over the years."

"She's got a son who is in a situation similar to what I went through in highschool. I gave her my card and told her to have him call me. Hopefully knowing someone is on his side might help him through it."

"That's what I love about you, Pretty Boy. Everything you've been through and you still want to try to help others. It takes a big person to care about others that much, especially when they've done something to hurt you."

"I just don't see how ruining more lives can benefit anyone," Reid said softly, feeling his cheeks flush under Morgan's words.

"Please don't ever change," Morgan told him, tightening his hold on Reid a bit more.

Morgan was rewarded by Reid snuggling a bit closer to him as he finally closed his eyes, trying to put the events of the night behind him. Tomorrow he would visit his mother once more before taking an afternoon flight back to D.C. The only thing that concerned him right now was what would happen between him and Morgan once they returned home. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Reid decided to try enjoying being held by the man he loved tonight and worry about the rest later.

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><p>In the front seat of the rental car, Morgan watched Reid disappear through the front doors of Bennington Sanitarium as he pulled out his cell phone. Hitting the number one, he put the phone up to his ear as Garcia's number dialed. He had a task that he wanted to take care of while Reid was visiting with his mother, and in order to complete that task he needed Garcia's computer skills.<p>

"Hey, Hot Stuff! Everything okay?" Garcia asked, as she answered the call. Her next comment had a hint of teasing to it. "I was going to call last night to check up on you but I was afraid I might have interrupted something."

"Things are fine, Baby Girl," Morgan assured her. He chose not to comment on the last part of her conversation knowing the gushing that the technical analyst would go into. "However, I need your help with something."

"Anything for you my Chocolate God."

"I need the address and number for a Rick Lambert. I can tell you he went to high school in Vegas but I can't be sure he actually still lives in the city," Morgan told her.

Morgan would prefer to have his planned conversation with Rick face-to-face but he had a limited time frame in which to accomplish that which meant he wanted the number in case the guy wasn't home.

"Do I want to know why?" Garcia asked. From the tone of her voice Morgan could tell that the computer genius already had part of her attention focused on the task.

"It would probably be better if you didn't."

"Can't you go on a trip without getting involved in something that normal people don't have to worry about?" Garcia asked, a trace of worry revealing itself.

"Don't fret, Mama. This isn't anything dangerous. Just some unfinished business that I need to take care of," Morgan told her.

Though he planned on keeping the promise he had made Reid last night, Morgan wasn't about to let Rick Lambert off the hook quite as easily as Reid was. He had told Reid that the genius wouldn't hear anything else on the subject from him, and Morgan intended to uphold that end of the deal. What he hadn't promised was that he would let the matter completely dropped. The former high school foot ball player had hurt Reid not once but twice, and Morgan was going to make damn sure that he didn't hurt him a third. Though he couldn't do anything officially without involving Reid, the Chicago native planned on making sure that Rick Lambert wouldn't go anywhere near his younger co-worker again.

Garcia didn't make an immediate reply and there was silence on the line as she did her work. Within minutes she was given Morgan the information that he had requested.

"Thanks, Mama. You're the best."

"You only say that because it's true," Garcia commented cheerfully. "So how's my junior G-man doing?"

"He's fine, Garcia."

"Are you sure, because you kind of hung up on me kind of quickly last night and then you never did call me back so I thought something might have been wrong."

Not about to tell the computer tech what had happened at the reunion, Morgan decided to give her some information that would ease her mind and stop her from asking more questions about what had caused him to end the phone call so abruptly the night before.

"I took your advice last night, Baby Girl, and told Reid how I felt about him."

Morgan held the phone away from his ear as Garcia squealed in delight.

"And?" she asked excitedly. Morgan knew exactly what she meant by that one word.

"You were right, he does have the same feelings for me," Morgan told her, knowing that some form of the phrase 'I told you so,' would be forthcoming if he allowed her to speak. Not really wanting to hear the words he rushed on. "You've got to keep this quiet for me right now though, Baby Girl. This is new territory for us right now. We don't want a lot of people knowing until we've had time to sort things out ourselves, especially given certain rules within the workplace."

"My lips are sealed," Garcia promised. "Although, I'm so happy for the both of you. It's about time you both stopped pretending."

Morgan smiled at the comment. "Thanks, Sweetheart. And thanks for the information. I'll call you when the flight gets in later tonight."

"Okay. Take care and don't do anything I wouldn't do," she added.

"Bye, Garcia," Morgan replied, smiling as he ended the phone call.

Morgan put his phone away and then entered the address he had received from Garcia into the rental's GPS system. Reid might want to just let things go, but then he wasn't Reid. His heart wasn't quite as big as the young genius, especially when it came to people who had hurt people he cared about.

Before long he was pulling up in front of a house on the outskirts of the city. Morgan double checked the address before getting out of the car. Walking toward the house, he took in the idyllic white picket fence bordering the small yard. Pushing the fence open, Morgan noticed a hula hoop and red kick ball in the grass. Reid's words about other people other than Rick and his friends paying if he pressed charges came to mind, and Morgan understood them now. It still didn't keep him from striding toward the front door and ringing the bell.

It wasn't long before a short, redhead of average build was answering the door. "May I help you?" she asked, pleasantly.

"Is Rick Lambert in?"

"He is. And you are?"

Morgan took out his credentials. It was the one way he knew to get Rick Lambert's attention. "Derek Morgan. I've got a few questions for him."

The woman's face paled as she turned and looked into the house. "Honey, a fellow from the FBI wants to talk to you," she called. As she turned Morgan got a glimpse of two children, a boy and a girl, sitting on the floor in front of a board game.

It didn't take long for Rick to appear. His look of confusion went to one of panic as he recognized Morgan.

"Mr. Lambert, would you mind stepping out on the porch for a few minutes?" Morgan asked, not wanting to say what he had to say in front of the man's family.

Rick nodded. Leaning down, he gave his wife's cheek a kiss. "Don't worry," he told her, stepping out of the front door and pulling the door shut behind him. As soon as the door clicked shut Rick addressed Morgan. "This is about last night, isn't it?" he asked, to which Morgan gave a quick short nod. "Look, I was drunk. I wasn't thinking straight but the other two were only following my lead. If there are any repercussions from this, I'll take responsibility for it. Leave Larry and Ned out of it."

The fact that Rick was trying to protect his friends raised the guy a half a notch above pond scum in Morgan's opinion. Still, the guy was a father. Any doubts about Reid's choice to let this go had left Morgan when he had spotted those two kids. Still, he planned on saying what he had come to say.

"If it was up to me, I would have arrested all three of you last night," Morgan told him, his voice cold and hard. "The only reason I didn't is because of Reid. He still doesn't want to press charges," Morgan continued, hearing an audible sigh from Rick as he said the words. "However, I'm here to tell you that I don't condone what you and your pals did last night or fifteen years ago. They're the actions of a bunch of cowards. Out of respect for Reid, I'm not pressing the issue but I'm telling you right now, and you can let your two pals know that this applies to them too, that if any of you get within ten feet of him again, I'm the one you'll answer to. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah. Perfectly," Rick told him, his eyes not leaving Morgan for an instance.

Morgan turned to leave, but paused and turned back. "Here's something for you to think about. How would you feel if you found out that some bullies from school had done to your son what you did to Reid in high school? How would those two children in there react to knowing what their father had done not only when he was a kid himself but even now when he's supposed to be a responsible parent?"

"You're not going to say anything to my wife and kids are you?"

Morgan shook his head. "I wouldn't do that to them but your actions don't just affect you anymore. Perhaps you should remember that next time you getting to hanging with your buddies," Morgan told him.

With that said, Morgan turned from the house and strode toward the waiting rental. He didn't bother looking back. Like Reid, all he wanted to do was put this whole incident in the past and look forward to the future - his future with Spencer Reid.


	13. Looking to the Future

**AN: Well here it is - last chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. I've enjoyed writing this story and hearing from those who chose to review. Thanks to all my readers!**

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><p>Spencer Reid settled down in the window seat of the plane bound for Washington, D.C. He glanced to his right as Morgan took the seat next to him. The older man's presence was welcomed this time unlike the unwanted surprise on the flight out. Now, just over forty-eight hours later, Reid wondered why he had ever fought Morgan tagging along. Not only had having Morgan in Vegas with him had a calming influence, Reid knew they might never have admitted their feelings for one another if it hadn't been for the events of the night before.<p>

The rest of the passengers finished boarding, and the flight attendant went through the standard safety instructions as the plane taxied toward the runway. As they started to gain altitude, Reid tentatively reached out and placed his right hand over Morgan's left. The older man immediately turned his hand over to grasp Reid's.

"You okay?" Morgan asked, looking over at his traveling companion.

"Yeah," Reid replied fighting the instinct to pull his hand away. "Just glad to be heading back to D.C."

"Do you regret coming?" Morgan asked, giving Reid the uncanny feeling that the older man had been able to hear his earlier thoughts.

"No," Reid replied slowly. "Sure things could have gone better but things could have been worse, right?" _~I could have been tied to the goal post a lot longer than I was if Morgan hadn't come along_, ~ he added silently, not able to voice the thought. He felt Morgan give his hand a squeeze, as if once again he was reading his thoughts. The rational part of his mind said it was probably more that Morgan's thoughts were paralleling his own more than any psychic abilities on the older man's part.

Morgan didn't reply, although he did gently squeeze Reid's hand as he rested his head back against the seat.

Beside him, Reid wished he could follow his friend's example and relax but he wasn't able to. He had something else on his mind and he wasn't sure how Morgan was going to react to it. Thoughts tumbling around in his head, Reid tried to decide on the best way to broach the subject. Finally deciding that there was no easy way to break the news, Reid just blurted out the information.

"I told my mother about us," Reid said, speaking quickly. "Well, I told her that I had feelings for you and that you had those same type of feelings for me."

"Then she knows?"

"What? I just said that I -"

"No, that's not what I meant. Your mother knows that you're attracted to men."

"Yes," Reid said, not comprehending why that was important. Why wouldn't his mother know? He shared just about everything with her. He had told her he was gay when he was sixteen and had started a relationship with Brad Thompsen, though he hadn't told her the whole truth about why that first relationship had come to an end. It was another one of those things that he hadn't ever told anyone about. Maybe someday he would tell Morgan but he'd have to wait to see how things progressed between the two of them. "I told her shortly after I came to terms with it myself."

"Then you're a lot braver than I am, Kid. I haven't ever been able to admit to my mother that I'm bisexual. Though I guess I'm going to have to cross that bridge eventually as I don't plan on keeping our relationship from her for too long."

"Then you don't mind that I told her?"

"Why would I?" Morgan asked, sitting up a bit straighter and turning a bit in his seat.

"I don't know," Reid said with a shrug. "I guess maybe because it's been less than twenty-four hours and part of me still thinks that when we get back to D.C. that things will go back to how they were between us as if last night never happened."

"Is that what you want?" Morgan asked unable to keep the worry out of his voice as he tightened his grip on Reid's hand.

Reid looked down, focusing his eyes on one of the pamphlets sticking up out of the pocket on the seat in front of him. "No," he admitted quietly. "But people don't seem to stay in my life long," he added.

"I don't plan on going anywhere, Kid," Morgan told him.

"I want to believe that."

Morgan brought his other hand over to cover the one he was grasping. Holding Reid's hand between his own, Morgan leaned slightly forward in his seat trying to catch Reid's gaze. Once he had it, he spoke again. "I'll do whatever it takes to make you believe that," he told him.

Reid's breath caught. Morgan's words held such a sincerity to them that he wanted to believe them. Morgan's dark eyes echoed the sincerity in his voice. If it wasn't for the fact that they were sitting on an airplane with strangers around them, Reid would have given in to the desire to lean forward and press his lips against Morgan's. How he wanted to feel those lips on his skin again - but not with an audience. As he forced himself to exhale, Reid felt a moment of panic that Morgan might initiate the kiss as the older man leaned a bit closer to him. Instead, Morgan spoke in a tone so softly that Reid knew he was the only one who could hear the words.

"If all these people weren't here, I would kiss you. Perhaps that would convince you of what words don't seem to be able to."

"Perhaps when we get home."

"Oh, you can count on it, Pretty Boy," Morgan added in a husky whisper before settling back against the seat, Reid's hand still gripped in his own.

Reid didn't try to pull his hand away as he followed Morgan's lead. Unlike the older man though, Reid still wasn't able to relax. Too many thoughts and fears were tumbling through his head. Looking out the window and down at the land they were flying over, Reid's mind thought about the non-fraternization rule the bureau had. If the wrong people found out about him and Morgan . . .

"Morgan can we keep this relationship quiet for now?" Reid asked quietly, his gaze still focused on the scene outside the window. He could sense movement from Morgan but he didn't turn his head in that direction as he continued to speak. "I mean, technically we could both get in trouble if it were to become known we were seeing each other at the office and while I know no one of the team would have a problem with it, I'd still rather not take the chance. At least not right away. Not until I've had a chance to adjust to it."

"Until you know it's going to last," Morgan suggested, putting into words what Reid was leaving left unsaid.

"Yeah," Reid said, still not looking from the window.

Morgan sighed. "Well, except for one person, I'm more than willing to go along with that plan for right now."

Reid turned away from the window at that response. He had a feeling he already knew who that one person was. "You've already told Garcia?"

Morgan nodded. "She already knew I liked you. Why do you think she was so willing to help me follow you out here? She kept telling me that she could tell you liked me too and that I needed to tell you how I felt. Seems Garcia's picked up a few things about profiling people over the year."

"Yeah, I guess she has," Reid admitted. He couldn't help but wonder how many of the others had figured things out.

"I told her to keep things quiet. We'll tell the others when you're ready. I promise. Okay?"

It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. Garcia already knew though as close as she and Morgan were, Reid guessed he should have figured on that. Reid nodded his consent in the matter and felt his heart skip a beat at the smile he received from Morgan.

"Now, how about you relax and enjoy the flight home," Morgan told him.

Reid nodded and leaned back against his seat. He closed his eyes and took some calming breaths, trying to relax as Morgan had suggested. When the flight attendant came around with headphones for the in-flight movie, both Morgan and Reid took a pair and watched "WALL*E" as the plane took them closer to D.C.

* * *

><p>Derek Morgan grabbed the box of wooden matches and headed into the dining room. Reid would be here soon and Morgan wanted things ready when the younger man did arrive. Walking into the room, he approached the table and paused looking at it having second doubts. Perhaps the candles were a bit overboard. They hadn't even been together for forty-eight hours yet and here he was fretting over a perfect candle light dinner. Perhaps they should just try to get through a regular dinner first.<p>

Remembering Reid's worry about him wanting to go all the way that first night at the hotel, Morgan retrieved the candles from the table without lighting them. Candles and matches in hand, he returned them to the kitchen and checked on the chicken dinner he was cooking.

Their flight back from Vegas had gotten in early Monday morning, hence the reason both of them had included today in their time off. Though he had wanted to ask Reid to just come home with him right then, Morgan had restrained himself. Instead, they had gathered luggage and left the airport. Morgan had driven his friend home, even walking him up to his apartment. Making sure they were alone in the hallway, Morgan had reached out and cupped Reid's chin before pressing his lips against the younger man's. Reid had eagerly returned the kiss. Finally breaking away, Morgan had invited Reid over for dinner tonight adding a soft 'and spend the night if you'd like' to the invitation.

Morgan was removing the food from the heat when the doorbell rang. Making sure nothing was left where it could burn, the Chicago native turned and left the kitchen. Clooney had already beat him to the front door and sat next to it, watching expectantly to see who was on the other side. Knowing Reid didn't have a great fondness for dogs, Morgan reached down and grabbed the German Shepherd's collar as he reached for the door knob. Morgan pulled the door open to reveal a very nervous looking Spencer Reid.

Clooney emitted a low growl, and Morgan tightened his grip on the dog's collar even as he greeted his friend. "Come on in, Kid. You're just in time. I just got done fixing dinner," Morgan said cheerfully, stepping aside to allow his guest to enter.

"Hi Morgan," Reid said as he nervously skirted by Clooney and into the house.

"Clooney, behave," Morgan scolded as he pushed the front door shut. "Hold your hand out to him, Kid. Let him see your not a threat."

Reid shot Morgan a disbelieving look, even as he switched the garment bag, he had to his left hand and slowly held out his hand in the German Shepherd's direction. Clooney sniffed at the proffered hand briefly before licking it. Satisfied that his guess had 'made friends' with the dog, Morgan let go of Clooney's collar.

Satisfied that the stranger in his home wasn't a threat, Clooney headed for the couch and hoped up onto it. The German Shepherd didn't waste anytime making himself comfortable.

"I told you Clooney wouldn't be a problem," Morgan said, looking from the dog to Reid.

"For now," Reid responded, still a bit uneasy about the dog's presence.

"Here, let me take those," Morgan said, reaching out for Reid's go-bag and garment bag that he held. "Does this mean you're taking me up on my offer to spend the night?"

"Um . . . I don't know. I mean I'd like to but I guess I'd like to see how dinner goes. However, if I do stay then I figured I might as well be prepared to go to work right from here instead of trying to get up early to go home and change."

Morgan grinned. "I got it. We'll see how the evening goes," he said, walking over to the hall closet. "I'll just put these in here for now, I'll take them upstairs later if you decide to stay," he replied, hoping to keep from pressuring Reid into doing something he wasn't comfortable with.

Reid nodded, as he lifted the strap of his messenger bag over his head. Slowly, he turned the bag over to Morgan and watched as the older man placed it next to his go-bag on the floor of the closet.

"Shall we go eat," Morgan said cheerfully gesturing toward the dining room with one hand.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Morgan sat on the couch, legs stretched out in front of him and one arm around Reid. The younger man's head was resting against his shoulder as the X-Men battled Magneto and his minions within the Statue of Liberty. Clooney was now curled up in the easy chair, having settled there after being shooed from the couch. Glancing down he saw that Reid's eyes had drifted shut.<p>

"Drifting off early, aren't we?" Morgan asked softly, bending his head down to whisper the words into Reid's ears.

"Hmm . . . " Reid mumbled, opening his eyes. He took a few moments to take in his surroundings before giving a more intelligible reply. "I'm sorry. Guess the weekend is catching up to me."

"Apparently," Morgan replied softly. "You staying tonight?" he asked, having not gotten a definite answer from the younger man yet.

Reid lifted his head from where it had been resting against Morgan's shoulder. "I don't really have the energy for any extracurricular . . . "

Reid let his words trail off as Morgan placed a finger against his lips. "I don't care about that. I just want you here with me."

"Do I have to share the bed with the dog?"

"No. I can shut him out of the bedroom if you'd like," Morgan replied, reaching up to run his fingers through Reid's long wavy locks.

Reid let out a soft moan and let his head rest back against Morgan again. "Although, staying right here wouldn't be a bad idea either."

Morgan laughed softly. "Yeah, until we woke up in the morning sore and stiff. Come on, Pretty Boy, let's head upstairs," he said, rousing the younger man again.

As Reid got to his feet and headed for the closet to retrieve his things, Morgan turned off the tv and got to his feet. Reid retrieved his messenger bag and garment bag and was about to pick up the go-bag when Morgan reached for it.

"I got it," Morgan said, picking the bag up and then slipping his free hand around Reid's shoulders to lead him upstairs.

While Reid was getting ready for bed, Morgan went back downstairs to let Clooney out one last time and turn off the lights. Reid had already climbed into the queen-sized bed by the time Morgan had made it back upstairs. Quickly getting ready for bed himself, Morgan turned on the lamp on his bureau and then turned off the bedroom lights. Within moments he was crawling into his familiar bed and pulling Reid close to him. Being able to hold the younger man close to him was a source of comfort that Morgan couldn't put into words.

"Derek, we still haven't really talked about 'us' yet. Figured out where we stand with one another."

"What's there to talk about? We love each other. That should be enough for right now. We'll just figure things out as we go along."

"You make it sound so easy."

Morgan laughed softly. "There is nothing easy about any kind of relationship. However, trying to figure everything out before you start a relationship isn't very practical either."

"I know, but I don't want to go into this blindly and ruin things."

"Do you love me, Spencer?"

There was a moment of silence before Reid answered.

"Yes."

"And I love you. I would do anything for you."

"But what about other details? Like when do we start telling others about us? When do we take our relationship beyond where we are right now?"

Morgan could hear the fear and uncertainty in the younger man's questions. "We'll know when the time is right to do those things without trying to hash it out tonight. We just move at a pace that is comfortable for us. I just need one promise from you, Pretty Boy?"

"What?"

"Don't go along with something to try to please me. If I do something that you're not comfortable with, I need you to tell me because while I don't want to force you into doing something you're not ready for you better believe I'm going to be testing boundaries from time to time. We'll talk things out as the situation comes up. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like a good plan to me," Reid replied, before letting out a yawn.

Morgan smiled as he pressed a kiss to the top of the younger man's head. He wondered just how much sleep Reid had gotten in the last few days - first worrying about the reunion, the dealing with what had happened that night, and then thinking about where the two of them stood with one another.

Suddenly a flash of lightening brightened the room, followed shortly by a rumble of thunder. Beside Morgan, Reid bolted upright in bed.

"Are you afraid of thunder too, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked lightly.

"No. It's not that," Reid said starting to climb from the bed. "I just want to grab my flashlight in case the power goes out."

Morgan reached out and grabbed Reid's wrist. "Forget the flashlight."

"But if the power goes out?"

"I'll protect you from whatever goes bump in the night, I promise," Morgan teased lightly. The light from the lamp allowed him to see Reid's face take on a reddish color. "Seriously, Kid, you don't need the flashlight. Chances are you'll be fast asleep even if we do lose power. Trust me. Lay down."

With a sigh, Reid laid back down, moving close to Morgan without any further coaxing from the older man. Despite the intensifying storm outside, it wasn't long before Reid's breathing had evened out telling Morgan that the younger man had drifted off to sleep.

If he had his way, Morgan knew he would choose to have Reid right here with him every night. At the same time he recognized the impracticality of that. If they were going to keep this quiet, they would have to watch themselves while they were on cases. Even on the nights that they weren't on the road, Morgan knew that it was going to take some time before Reid would be comfortable spending every night here instead of at his own apartment. Would take time before the younger man could call this home too but that was where Morgan was hoping this would go. They just had to take one day at a time until they got to that point.

Lighting lit up the room again, and Morgan looked down at the younger man sharing his bed. Morgan couldn't call the look on Reid's face peaceful but at least he looked content. Thunder sounded once again, and despite being asleep, Morgan felt the slight shiver that went through Reid's body at the sound. Whether it was fear of the storm or the fear of waking up to darkness, even in his sleep Reid was aware of the fear. Morgan tightened his hold on the younger man hoping that either they didn't lose power or Reid slept through the night.

"We just need to take this one day at a time and one storm at a time and we'll be fine, Pretty Boy," Morgan whispered, knowing that Reid couldn't hear the words.

Morgan knew he had gone to Vegas and had won big. Now the trick was holding on to that prize.


End file.
